The Grimm Huntsman (Rewritten)
by OmegusXIII
Summary: Pyrrha didn't expect to survive when she chose her final goal. But when Ruby arrived in the nick of time, they saw something in Cinder that none of them expected. However, it was nothing more than a precursor to the dreaded new plan: Project Quasimodo. Destiny proves to be beyond final goals for both sides and one thing is already clear: The timeline has changed.
1. The End of the Beginning

**A/N: Hello. :) I suppose you're wondering why I made a new version of my Grimm Huntsman trilogy. Well, as it turns out, the first one I made... was really cringe-worthy. And understandably so. Back then I was still new to RWBY and its lore. But I came a long way since then. And I decided to give it a better edit with more meaning into my OC's and others' who I previously asked to be a part of my trilogy, along with the additions of a few new ones of my own. Basically, it's how Volume 3 should've ended and how it should've gone on onwards to Volume 7 (A.K.A. The Great War). From here on out, I intend to put as much effort into this as I can that will make it more enjoyable for you. Wish me luck. :)**

**Prologue:** The End of the Beginning

It began where her story should've ended. Pyrrha had just went off in Beacon Tower to confront Cinder, not long after she sent Jaune away. But before then, she managed to give him the love she had for him before it was too late. Odds are, she would not survive alone, but if he remains alive, then it would all be worth it.

_I'm sorry, Jaune... but it has to be done._

Pyrrha took notice of the elevator inside and forced the doors open with her semblance, only to find it was beyond repair. Debris were scattered inside and electricity shorted out from its ceiling. For her, it was a good thing. Even now, doubt was circulating in her mind about whether or not it was worth it. She could've chosen to run with Jaune, and they could've finally had their time with each other. But with people like her out there, what would've been the point?

Peace can't last forever. And Beacon's destruction would still have lingered in their minds to remind them of that. Despite her inadvertent actions toward Penny in the Amity Coliseum, Pyrrha knew from the beginning that it was her destiny to be a Huntress. However this battle would end, she will act like one. She owed everyone that much. Pyrrha willed her semblance to clutch on the elevator as she tensed her fists. Her head went down from the strain of it on that level, but she pushed through it and launched herself up, determined to face her fate...

Meanwhile, it didn't take long for Cinder Fall to occupy the Beacon Tower, looking out the window to see the glorious chaos in front of her. They all knew her power, now. At this point, it'd be foolish, even suicidal of them to defy her. It won't be long before they all fear her name... Of course, it's not to discredit her benefactors. But sooner or later, she won't have a use for them. Ultimately, power was her only goal. And she is one step closer to fully wielding it.

In a moment, Cinder heard the rumbling below her. The source revealed itself to be a Grimm Dragon, climbing into the tower itself like it was its own playpen. It continued its ascent to the top before it stopped, its red eyes looking to Cinder. The beast roared at her, shaking the very tower, but she never flinched. Cinder shushed it softly, feeling the satisfaction of power coursing through her being, practically invigorating her.

"This is your home now."

The dragon cooed at her words, but soon enough, Cinder realized why it was so anxious. She could practically feel her half of the Fall Maiden's power calling out to its other. She held her hand out in front of her, a majestic flame rising from her palm. It must've felt someone else. Someone who must be stupid enough to challenge her. Cinder could easily guess who that was. She was in that infernal machine before she disconnected the Fall Maiden permanently.

"You again?"

Screeching came from the elevator door in the room before suddenly, a sword was flung at her. Yet, she effortlessly dodged it with a smirk. However, Cinder didn't anticipate a shield to be thrown at her. All she could do was block with her hands, the metal pressing against her palms as Pyrrha leaped backward, having been launched with the shield. After recovering, she called her sword and shield back into her hands while Cinder floated under two streaks of flame that hovered below her feet. Their fight over destiny has begun...

During the fight, Pyrrha had a brief advantage, but against the new Fall Maiden, however incomplete, Cinder overwhelmed her and melted her sword until they were in pieces while the Dragon shattered the tower. In the now-broken battlefield, Pyrrha made good use of the remains and her shield. She'd used her defensive weapon as a decoy to throw her off, and it worked. One by one, Pyrrha whacked Cinder with the cogs left over from the wreckage, pushing her aura to its breaking point before swarming her with them. This only infuriated Cinder, forcing her to burst out in flames and break Pyrrha's aura in the process as she shielded herself. However, the impact on her her body caused red cracks to appear before they aura was broken, but not her spirit.

In an effort to knock her down, Pyrrha hurtled her shield at Cinder's aura which turned to ash around it when it connected before reconstructing itself and piercing her leg, earning her pained shout as she tried to stand up. Sadly, the pain coursing through her ankle wouldn't let her. She collapsed back onto the ground, being forced to her knees while breaking the arrow's base in the process until she was bowing down. Cinder grew satisfied with her victory, knowing the rest of her power will soon be hers as she walked around her before holding Pyrrha's face closer.

"It's unfortunate you were promised a power that wasn't truly yours. But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you can never imagine."

Pyrrha glared at Cinder. She knew it'd come to it eventually. All the same, she was satisfied with how she'd go out. Although, Pyrrha had a feeling that Cinder would feel otherwise. It's not uncommon for people to seek power, and there were many reasons for it. Whatever it was for her, Pyrrha knew that she'd never truly be satisfied in the end. In that, she had won before their fight ever started.

"Do you believe in destiny?"

Cinder glared back at her, answering sternly.

"Yes."

Cinder used her hands to create a bow and arrow, aiming directly for her heart. There was no possible way for her to miss at that distance. She could practically feel her other half's power, begging her to set it free. And she intended to do just that. It was only a matter of time now. Pyrrha waited for the end to come. However, a familiar voice wouldn't let her.

"Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha opened her eyes and turned to where the voice came from, as did her victor. Pyrrha was surprised to see her now of all times when she should be evacuating Vale. What was she doing here? Then, she remembered what she asked Jaune to do moments before the battle. She'd asked him to call for help. Jaune must've gotten through to them, but not the way she thought. All the same, she was relieved to have some help.

Cinder, on the other hand, was indifferent about it. She'd just defeated the famous Huntress of Beacon. How much trouble could that little girl possibly be? But before that... she needed to finish the job.

"If you're here for her, little girl, you're too late."

Cinder pointed her arrow and was about to release. Before she could, however, a shot rang out and hit her in the chest, causing her orange aura to appear in a crackle as she flew across the room until she landed in the floor with her back, the impact completely shattering her aura. With a scowl, she looked back to the girl, noticing that she was the one who pulled the trigger, her scythe pointing to her and with a face full of anger. Ruby hadn't come this far just to let her take away her friend. She just won't let her...

"Get. Away. From her...!"

Pyrrha was utterly shocked. She'd never seen this side of Ruby before. And even worse, it seemed to get on Cinder's bad side very quickly. While it's true that she can't do much in her current condition, Pyrrha feared that Ruby wouldn't do any better than she did. She feared it would cost Ruby her life.

"Ruby, don't! Just get out of here!"

"Not on your life! The whole reason I wanted to be a Huntress so bad was to protect people! I won't just abandon you, Pyrrha! I'd be a failure if I did!"

Ruby's eyes began to show tears streaming down her face. Did Ruby honestly think that way? Was she that afraid to fail? Pyrrha had no words this moment to answer her resolve. But Cinder did. And they weren't very pleasant.

"Please. You've already failed. You had your chance to stop me at the dance."

Ruby's eyes widened. Had she really fought her before? Then it hit her. She did, when she was looking in the control room. That day, she had a feeling something wasn't right. Her brief fight proved it, but it wasn't until now that she's realized who she'd fought.

"Wait. The intruder... that was _you_?!"

Cinder laughed at Ruby's apparently ignorant bliss.

"You really are dense, aren't you?"

"Then that means... you're responsible for everything! Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it!"

"Bingo. But you're a bit too late to figure that out. Look around. Beacon is already destroyed. There's nothing left for you to protect. _Nothing._"

Ruby's spirit began to be at an all-time low. How could she have been so stupid?! She was right under her nose the whole time! And she did nothing...

_Nothing..._

Ruby was heartbroken to hear this, especially since it was all true. But very quickly, her sadness morphed into anger. She hated being helpless. And she knew just who to take it out on: the very person who made her feel this way.

"I don't care... how powerful you think you are... I will kill you...!"

Pyrrha couldn't help but feel frightened. Yet, she wouldn't blame her for the chaos happening around her. Even Cinder was caught slightly off-guard from her words, more so with her tone. But it wasn't something she's not used to hearing.

"Will you? Then go ahead and try, little girl."

Ruby made no hesitation to oblige, using her Crescent Rose to launch herself at Cinder with an angry shriek. In response, her eyes flared orange with a burning flame before she summoned a sword made from black glass and an orange fire outlining its edge. In no time, their weapons clashed steel against glass, neither one willing to break. As a result, they triggered a massive shockwave, one that blew Pyrrha farther on the floor while the Grimm Dragon was slightly shifting from the oncoming wind that resulted. However, the battle didn't go unnoticed. It watched and looked to the one who has begun to harbor much negativity in its eyes: Ruby Rose.

Before it could do more than that, Cinder used her right hand to hold it at bay as a red symbol in the shape of an eye appeared in the back of it.

"Stay. She's all mine."

Cinder prepared to attack with her open hand, summoning a flame with a smirk. Before she could fire, however, Ruby used her scythe to launch herself away while turning into rose petals. By the time she did, the flames only licked at the petals, burning them away before she landed, showing fury in her teary, silver eyes. Cinder started to float above the ground with flames underneath her feet before Ruby lunged at Cinder again, making Pyrrha scared not just for the battle, but for how fearsome Ruby was becoming.

"Ruby, no!"

Ruby did not listen to her pleas. She dragged her scythe on the floor, igniting sparks as it scarred the floor. With such a base maneuver in her blind rage, Cinder wasn't impressed.

"Don't you know what happens when you get too close to fire?"

She cast out fireballs at her, but Ruby to dodged, bobbed, and weaved around them, her scythe still dragging on the ground. When she got close enough, Ruby made a quick slash up at her, flinging the sparks at her and forcing Cinder to block them from getting to her eyes with her arms. Ruby then used the opportunity to get a good hit on her with her Crescent Rose. However, Cinder took notice in the nick of time and dodged her scythe while shielding herself with her sword, using the resulting momentum to quickly hold it at bay when Ruby swung her scythe again. Nevertheless, Ruby hadn't lost her spirit as she moved her hand to a button on her scythe. And unfortunately for Cinder, the bullet was pointing right at her eye, and there's no aura to shield her this time. Before Cinder could react, the trigger was pulled, launching Ruby away as she landed beside Pyrrha, her foe's pained screams filling the night sky.

Ruby looked over to Cinder, seeing her clutch at her left eye, the blood spilling out in between her hand as she groaned before she sought to rid herself of that pain. She began to burn her face where she lost her eye to cauterize the wound before it got worse, but in return, her scream grew louder. When she was finished, a fresh burn was shielded by her hair over her lost eye, her scar tissue forming where she'd attempted to cease her pain, panting with tears dripping from her only remaining eye. Wet as her now halved vision was, Cinder looked at a surprised Ruby, and then... Then, she saw red.

"YOU BITCH!"

It was Cinder's turn to be angry now. She summoned another sword in her hand out of black glass and fire, she ran towards Ruby with a vicious roar. Ruby held out her Crescent Rose in preparation for the onslaught to come. And she was wise to. At best, it stopped her from getting anything fatal immediately. However, Ruby couldn't withstand the assault long. Cinder forced Crescent Rose away from her and began to hack at her like a madwoman, bent on breaking her aura, and soon her flesh, to pieces along with her uniform that now became shredded, her sleeves cut off and her cute little frills at the bottom of her dress torn apart.

Meanwhile, Pyrrha was mortified. This was exactly what she wanted to avoid. She didn't want anyone else to suffer for her. She looked around desperately for anything to use to help her, but her shield wasn't anywhere to be seen since she tossed it at her in vain. Then, she noticed one more option in front of her just inches away: Crescent Rose. If she could lift her shield and sword easily, what would make a scythe any different? However, her aura ran out some time ago, and with it, her semblance. It would appear she'll have to reach it the old-fashioned way. But can she do it in time?

Just then, Ruby's body fell to the floor with a grunt before Cinder's high heel slipper planted itself on her chest, her only eye glaring orange in flames, her lingering tears evaporating in its heat.

"Did you really think you'd defeat me?! I didn't come this far to be stopped by a stupid, little brat!"

Ruby only held a look of malice towards her, hating her for everything she's done.

"You deserve... to be stopped. Do you even care about who you've taken away? About what you've done?!"

Cinder held her left arm out in front of Ruby as she glared at her menacingly.

"It's pathetic of you, talking as if I had a heart. Unfortunately for you, I lost it a long time ago..."

Ruby didn't lose her look of hate towards her as she prepared for the end. Just then, Ruby noticed her Crescent Rose flying seemingly out of nowhere before the blade sliced off her arm, earning another terrible scream from her as it impales itself on the floor beside them. Ruby looked to the direction it flew from, seeing Pyrrha on the floor, though she wasn't bowing like before. She must've used what was left of her strength to stop Cinder from killing Ruby. It was a close one. However, Cinder wasn't done yet.

Despite having lost her arm, Cinder was still as determined as ever to get her power. Arm or no arm, eye or no eye, _nothing _will stop her from taking what's hers. She cauterized her arm as she did her eye to stop the bleeding this time around. The fact that two children were the ones to force her to it was beyond infuriating. It was the ultimate insult, one she refused to let stand any longer.

"You two are dead! DEAD, YOU HEAR ME?!"

Before Cinder could make her move, however, she felt a powerful presence come over her. Her chest tightened itself as if a snake had wrapped around it, making Cinder fall to the ground in a pained groan, catching Ruby and Pyrrha by surprise. They watched curiously as Cinder began to breathe raggedly, trying to get a deep breath. Did they work her up so much somehow that she needed to do that?

Neither one knew for sure, but one thing they can be certain of is that Cinder was weakened. Ruby needed to use the opportunity to truly get back at Cinder. She caused too much pain to be left alive. There's no way she'd ever let it go. Then, she noticed her scythe, planted into the floor.

Ruby knew that if she took the opportunity now, everyone from this point onward would be safe. She'll never hurt another soul ever again. Ruby just couldn't let that happen. Swiftly, she turned into a stream of rose petals and snatched her Crescent Rose before landing on top of Cinder, her foot planted on her chest as she stood with her scythe over Cinder's head. The opportunity was hers. She can finally end it all...

"Game's over, Cinder."

Pyrrha then looked at her own hands. She could see her aura being replenished. But the color she expected of her aura didn't come; instead, it was orange. It must be the Fall Maiden's. Part of her soul must be lingering in her since the transfer before it was interrupted. But that wasn't what intrigued her: it was what she was _hearing_.

All at once, she began to hear voices. Hers... and Cinder's.

"_Do you believe in destiny?"_

"_I want to be strong."_

"_What would you do if something came along that you never expected?_

"_I want to be feared..."_

"_Or what if you could fulfill your destiny in an instant, but at the cost of who you were?! None of it makes sense!"_

"_I want to be powerful."_

Pyrrha heard the hurt not just in her voice, but Cinder's, too. She must've fulfilled her own twisted destiny, but at the cost of the person she once was. Maybe that's why she sought after power so much... to keep from being what she must consider to be weak... Meanwhile, despite her situation, Cinder was convinced she had the upper hand as far as morals.

"Not yet. Not until you get rid of me. And we both know you don't have the guts."

Ruby appeared unfazed by her words. But the truth was, she simply can't stand looking at her anymore.

"Wanna bet?"

Ruby raised her scythe into the air, aiming to strike her down. However, Pyrrha's voice stopped her before she could do anything else.

"Ruby!"

Ruby turned to see Pyrrha, trying her hardest to stand despite the pain she had to deal with so far. She knew it's minuscule compared to the pain of seeing her friend turn into a killer.

"You can't do this."

Ruby only glared at Pyrrha with her bloodshot eyes, tearing up from the pain that Cinder's words caused her.

"And why not? This is the only way this can end! The only way I can ever move on!"

"Ruby..."

"I LET THIS HAPPEN, PYRRHA! Penny's dead, the Grimm are destroying Vale, and my friends are hurt because of me! Because of _her_! The only way I'll ever forgive myself for any of it is if she dies!"

"Ruby, that's not true, and you know it!"

"YES, IT IS! I WON'T LET MYSELF BE A FAILURE! I CAN'T!"

Cinder was put in a terrible position. Any moment now, that little brat will cut her life short. If she thought being beaten by her was the ultimate insult, then this would be her worst nightmare. Pyrrha, however, still persisted in trying to reason with Ruby.

"Listen to me. Sparing her won't make you a failure, Ruby. But killing her will."

"But she _deserves_ it! She's a monster!"

"Yes, she is. Are you?"

"WHAT DOES THAT MATTER?! Even if I spare her, then what?! She'll still kill people if I let her go! I can't just let her!"

"You're not. Cinder will be held accountable, by the Vale Police Force. And it's unlikely that she'd hurt anyone after what you did to her just now."

"So what?"

"Her fate isn't yours to decide."

"Then whose is it?!"

Waiting for Pyrrha's answer, Ruby's hands trembled on her scythe. But she saw her point. On one hand, the world will be free of that murderer. But on the other, she'll end up becoming one herself. And any hopes she had about being a Huntress would be gone. She didn't want to give up on that dream. But Cinder _needed_ to die... she can't be forgiven.

"Tell me!"

Pyrrha only looked away, unable to answer that for Ruby. That was all the permission she needed. Her arms raised up in the air, her silver eyes staring into her soul. Her teeth gritted as tears fell from her face. Then, she'd finally worked up the nerve and swung her scythe down with her shout of anger echoing all over Vale. All Pyrrha could see was the scythe thrown down as the sound of clanging metal echoed. She expected the worst to have happened. However, the scythe didn't land where she feared it would.

Cinder's eyes were closed, waiting for her end to come. Yet, no other sound was made after the metal clanging. Cautiously, she opened her eyes to see the blade of Crescent Rose planted by her face. She then looked up in shock to see Ruby glaring at her with a scowl. She wanted to move away, or rather move in and attack her, but she did neither. Why did she feel so powerless against this... girl?

"Listen, Cinder. The Vale Police Force will take you in and hold you accountable for every life you've destroyed tonight. If you attack my friends or anyone else who's innocent... I won't miss again."

Ruby removed her scythe from the ground and began to walk away from Cinder and toward Pyrrha, who is relieved that she didn't make the killing blow. Cinder growled bitterly towards Ruby. The lump in her throat that came from such an unexpected move Ruby appeared to do earlier was quickly getting removed, and it was released with a shout.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

Ruby stopped moving from where she walked. In response, she spoke as soft as she could, but allowed it to be loud enough for her to hear.

"I'm Ruby Rose. And I'm a Huntress. So, guess what? I will always protect the people who need me. Or at least I'll try."

Ruby continued to walk to Pyrrha. However, Cinder wouldn't give up without a fight, not that she didn't have one already. But she came all this way for the complete power of the Fall Maiden. And she's not leaving without it. Cinder growled as she summoned a sword in her only hand before running at Pyrrha with an angry shout. Ruby overheard this and turned around quickly, using the top of her scythe to hit her right in the neck, making Cinder gag before she fell right on the floor. She wanted to curse the girl who stopped her, but when she tried... no voice came.

Cinder gasped at what'd happened to her. Not only did she lose her eye and her arm, but now her voice? How much more did she have to lose...? And when would it ever end? Cinder looked up to Ruby, terrified over what she did to her. She was supposed to be a defenseless little girl, wasn't she?!

"I warned you."

The girl then walked away from Cinder, leaving her utterly helpless. Then, she looked back to Pyrrha, her other half of the Fall Maiden. She held a sad look of sympathy for her. Somehow, that stung her more than anything. Instead of being strong, instead of being feared, instead of being powerful as she aspired to be... she was helpless. Afraid. Powerless...

Cinder's face contorted to a look of rage as she held out her only palm before a red symbol in the shape of an eye appeared on the back of her only hand. In that moment, as if on cue, the Grimm Dragon stirred from its vantage point and turned its massive head towards Ruby and Pyrrha. The beast then towered above the three of them, aiming to destroy them. All Pyrrha and Ruby could do was look on as it prepared to feast. However, before it could, an Atlesian helicopter shot at it, forcing it back, much to Cinder's shock before it took off from the tower, stupefying Cinder entirely as she looked on. Ruby then looked to Cinder with a glare as her stupefied look came over her. That glare would haunt her for the rest of her days, whether she wanted it to or not...

Rather than suffer that any longer, Cinder returned a glare back at Ruby before launching herself away with her legs and right hand, taking to the sky in a great speed as Ruby and Pyrrha looked on, much to the former's irritation as her uncle shouted to them.

"Hey! Don't worry about her for now! Just get in!"

Ruby didn't like this, but she'll let Cinder have her freedom. Like Pyrrha said, she can't hurt anyone else after the way she'd been mutilated. Then again, she'll always find a way like she suspected. However long it takes, Ruby had a feeling that she will. For that, she gave a glare to Pyrrha, who only showed a sorrowful look to her as she went back in the helicopter before joining her.

Meanwhile, after having escaped from the ruins of Beacon Tower, Cinder could do nothing but watch as Ruby and Pyrrha took off away from Vale. But it wasn't because she lost her arm or her eye. It was because she lost her will. She was powerless all over again. How humiliating for it to be taken by a girl... no. It was infuriating.

Cinder was not the powerful foe they feared anymore. She may have won over Beacon, but she lost her battle. Though, it only ever gave her one consolation prize: the Fall Maiden's power. It wasn't enough this time, but she will master it. And one day, she will be feared again. Cinder will have her revenge, and the girl— no. Ruby Rose will _burn_...

* * *

Meanwhile, in the hallways of a secret laboratory, an old man with a robotic, glowing red eye, a robotic right arm with red inner circuits, disheveled gray hair, a matching mustache and beard, and prominent eyebrows was walking by himself. His outfit was a gray jacket with a high collar and a red shirt underneath it. Truly, the telltale appearance of a scientist. However, others had called him a madman. It was a name he did not take to, but he grew used to it all the same. What he wasn't used to, however, was what he'd heard. Beacon has fallen.

He found out how Penny Polendina was cut down to size at the Amity Coliseum, how their own soldiers shot down innocent people left and right. And most pleasing to him, how the Grimm swarmed Vale. This left many opportunities for the man.

He always considered Grimm to be the superior species, soulless as they are. Yet, it baffled him how nature could ignore the Grimm and leave it in its primal state. Science was the key to fixing that mistake. And the only benefactor he's gained with his proclamation seemed to agree. In fact, she was speaking to him through a hovering ball which showed her pale face with six offshoots with obsidian hairpieces hanging from each of them with a dark complexion on the skin and tentacles with spikes at the end of the device. It also served as her mobile communication, not that he was against it.

"Ah, yes. That is... rather unfortunate for the Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"_But it's a big day for you, I'm sure."_

"Yes. Although, I'm surprised that Ironwood didn't initiate the Esmeralda Protocol when the Grimm were on the loose."

"_Well, it would be safe to say that he would have if the Global Communications Tower wasn't destroyed."_

"I see. Well, however this Fall of Beacon played out, I'm just altogether grateful for the fruits of their labor, especially since it pays great contribution for my own project."

Merlot stopped in front of a door and placed his hand on the keypad, allowing it to scan him before it glowed green and the doors opened to reveal a woman in her undergarments with brown hair and tan white skin strapped to a dissection table with a syringe full of black liquid on a table adjacent to her. Merlot smirked at her with pride as she tried to speak to him.

"What the—?! Merlot, what's going on?! Why am I strapped to a table like this?! And what is that thing with you?!"

"Don't be afraid, my fear. It's all part of the experiment. I assure you it's for the good of humanity."

Merlot then picked up the syringe and held it in front of her, causing the woman to squirm herself free as she grunted. However, the straps were too strong for her to break as Merlot made the injection. The woman felt the strange liquid beginning to sap away at her soul as she screamed, trying to break free and escape, only for her efforts to grow weaker as her screams turned into groans. Her consciousness drifted into sleep, her normal skin turning deathly white, and her veins turning black all around her skin. Then, after a brief moment of silence, she made a loud gasp as her eyes opened, showing a crimson red and black color in place of a purple color they once had before she suddenly grew bone-like blades on her wrists and used them to break free from her table with a thrust before she panted and held them close to defend herself before she heard the woman's voice.

"Rest easy, my dear. You have nothing to be afraid of with me."

The woman looked at her in curiosity as she blinked while putting her arms down and walking closer to it, mystified by the image it projected.

"Who... who are you? Who am _I_?"

"You can simply call me... mother. As for who _you _are. You're only the first success. So it's fitting to call you... Paragon."

This made the transformed woman honored to be given such a name as she bowed her head.

"Thank you... mother."

The woman in the ball turned to Merlot and became satisfied as she spoke before he replied.

"Well, your Project: Quasimodo certainly impressed me, Merlot. As I always knew you would."

"Oh, please. It's all thanks to your contribution... Salem."

Just then, they heard a man's voice shouting as it beat on the glass, making the group turn to the source in the room. In that room was a being that is exactly half-man, half-Grimm. His left side had a human complexion with a blue eye, raven hair, and his arm and leg. The other half, however, was pitch black with a Grimm mask covering that half of his face while his arm and leg on that dark side was sharp and more gruesome as it's dark fist banged against the glass. Paragon was astonished by this appearance, although Salem and Merlot weren't that impressed. If anything, they detested it.

"What is that, mother?"

"It's nothing to be worried about, daughter. Just a failure..."

* * *

**A/N: Hello. :) So, how was that. It should be remarkably better than how my original prologue of it went out. If it did, I'm glad I did you proud. Anyway, I'm sure you can guess who the "failure" was. Raider Serose (portrayed by Josh Keaton) will make a return as he alludes to Quasimodo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. And "Paragon" will be voiced by Jennie Kwan. As for her true identity, it will be revealed near the ending of the story. Meanwhile, since Pietro Polendina is voiced by Dave Fennoy, I think Merlot should have his voice updated to that of Christopher Lloyd. I really admire the guy's voice. And as for RWBY and JPNR themselves, some routes will be the same while some are different. But ultimately, the story will aim to be more shocking and more intriguing than the original version of the story and the canon series, not that Volume 4 is to be discredited. After all, it did show Ren and Nora's developments. :) Speaking of, this story will be bound to show "grimm" images (get it?) and some sexual content along the way. Beyond that, I think we're covered. Anyway, here's to a new beginning.**


	2. Leaving Home

**Chapter 1: **Leaving Home

Nothing was ever the same after Beacon fell. Ruby especially was changed drastically. When she first attended Beacon Academy, she had a dream to be a Huntress like her mother once was. The motivation back then, however, was mostly because of the fairytales. Then, little by little, she began to see the true nature of a Huntress's line of work.

People would almost constantly be put in harm's way, whether it's from themselves or the Grimm. Even Torchwick gave her advice about it, although she didn't ask for it.

"_You wanna be the hero? Then play the part and die like every other Huntsman in history! This is the real world!"_

Although, he did get eaten by a Griffon as a result, so that was on him. Looking back on that, Ruby couldn't help but find it... laughable. Not laughable like in a pathetic sort of way. Somehow, she found it funny. But was she supposed to?

Ruby knew it was wrong to think of things like that as funny. Neopolitan did seem to care for Roman, considering how much he cared for her back. What would she do without him? Ruby almost felt sorry for the poor girl. Almost...

It didn't change who she is, what she'll go on doing. As far as Ruby's concerned, she's just another villain in her list to stop. Another in her list was plain: Cinder. She had her chance to truly stop her. Why did Pyrrha convince her to let her go? She could've stopped her for good! So why didn't she?

* * *

_Ruby recalled when Qrow and Taiyang arrived in the helicopter to bring her and Pyrrha inside. The latter of the Huntresses only felt bad for her while the former felt she deserved worse. As the helicopter took off, Ruby glared at where Cinder took off to escape while Pyrrha was bearing a saddened expression on her face while Qrow chewed her out. It was far too risky for her to take on Cinder in the first place._

"_What's the matter with you, kid? You could've died fighting that psycho."_

_Pyrrha didn't answer, still too focused on how hurt Cinder must be, and wondering what hurt her to begin with._

"_Are you even listening to me?"_

_Ruby took the liberty to respond as she turned to her uncle._

"_She would have. But I stopped her."_

_Qrow remembered then how Cinder's eye and arm were missing when they landed. Did Ruby really do that?_

"_What? You did that?"_

_Ruby only nodded to him before she spoke as bitter as she did softly._

"_I should've killed her..."_

_Unfortunately, Qrow heard that. And he did not take too well to that at all._

"_What did you just say?"_

"_You know she deserved it. She hurt so many people, Uncle Qrow. What did you expect me to say?"_

_However, Ruby was unaware of what it truly meant to kill Cinder. Qrow, shocked as he was to see Ruby's dark side, felt it best to explain the situation._

"_No, kid. If anyone was going to kill her, it should've been Pyrrha. Not that I would suggest it so soon."_

_Ruby was quick to assume that she was being talked down to and retorted._

"_Yeah? Why can't that be me?"_

"_Because. Pyrrha is the one who should've been the Fall Maiden."_

_This was news to Ruby. Was that why Pyrrha tried to challenge Cinder? To be the Fall Maiden? Ruby looked over to Pyrrha for confirmation, to which she nodded. Qrow spoke to Pyrrha this time as he wondered about Cinder._

"_So I have to wonder. If Cinder was at the end of her rope... why didn't you take the shot?"_

_Pyrrha didn't quite know how to explain the connection in her mind. While it's true that they knew about the Maidens, Pyrrha suspected that they wouldn't comprehend the link between her and Cinder. Still, she was obliged to try._

"_Because... despite what she says... I'm not sure she deserves her destiny."_

* * *

That was the only thing Ruby can agree on. She deserved worse... Ruby's hands tensed bitterly from the thought, but realized there's nothing she can do about that now. Besides, with any luck, Cinder would think twice before coming near her friends again. And if she doesn't, she would simply not allow her the time. Just then, a knock came on the door. Ruby had a feeling she knew who it was, as she'd received several checkups that usually came with a knock.

"Ugh, for the seventh time, dad, I'm fine! I don't need you to—!"

However, the figure that came inside wasn't who she expected. It was her Uncle Qrow. At best, it was a change of pace from her dad, especially since he took things seriously. She came to appreciate that more than her dad's constant attempts to soothe her. She's not a little kid anymore, that much was certain.

"Oh. Sorry, Uncle Qrow."

"Nah, it's alright, kid. I knew what it's like to deal with your father since way back when. How are you doing?"

"Um... I hurt all over."

As Ruby felt the bruises within her cute pajama shirt, Qrow pulled up a chair and set it by her bed before he sat down. Then, as he took his sigh, his expression began to show concern.

"Alright. What's going on with you, Rubes?"

"What do you mean?"

"What made you go berserk on Cinder like that? She lost an eye _and _an arm. For that to happen, you must've been seriously pissed off."

Ruby could hear Cinder's mocking voice echoing as she held her head down. She clutched her hands on her blanket as she broke the silence.

"I was. I ran up the side of the tower. And when I got to the top, I saw Pyrrha... and Cinder. She could've killed Pyrrha if I didn't stop her. Then, she started to tell me I've already failed as a Huntress with Beacon being destroyed. And I started to believe that."

"Come on. Don't tell me you actually bought her crap."

"Let me finish. I started to, but... I got angry. I chose not to let her break me. Instead, I... I told Cinder that I would kill her. I didn't want her to make me helpless. So I attacked her."

Qrow was at a loss to hear her exploit explained like this. Normally, it would be the kind of story you get from when a student was told off for standing up to a bully. But Ruby didn't just stand up to a bully: she stood up to a murderer. Worse still was how she attacked.

"So, wait a minute. You mutilated her because she called you a failure?"

"You don't get it! She wasn't just mocking _me_! She was mocking the whole reason I wanted to be a Huntress!"

"Yeah? And why exactly did you want to be a Huntress?"

Ruby was about to snap back, but realized how silly her answer was. She held her tongue. She's not a kid anymore, so she can't use that excuse, either. Ruby began to think about her mother's example. When she was a kid, it's always made her proud that she'd protect people. Maybe she wanted to take after her, to protect people as she did.

"Because... because maybe my mom... would be proud of me if I did."

Qrow widened his eyes initially. The surprises just kept right on coming. Not once did Ruby ever say that answer to this common question. Frankly, he was into it. He gave a smile to her niece, speaking as if he expected it despite his surprise.

"Finally decided to toss the fairytale excuse out the window, didn't you?"

Ruby's eyes widened. Did Qrow know that her mother was the whole reason behind her wanting to be a Huntress?

"You know, even when you try not to be, you're like an open book. And honestly... I don't blame you one bit for trying to follow Summer's footsteps. If she were still here, I'm sure she'd be proud of you."

Ruby gave a soft smile to her uncle. However, she began to bear a sad face towards him a moment after. Summer only existed in the past now. And she never knew why. Neither Qrow nor Taiyang would tell her. If she didn't hate them for it before, she'd be starting to. But after Beacon, she's not going to waste her time forcing the answers out of them. For now, she's got bigger fish to fry.

"But she's not. My mom's gone. And there's nothing that can bring her back. I won't let anyone else die the same way if I can help it. I just can't..."

Qrow held his head down solemnly. He could understand where she's coming from. He didn't want Summer to die either. Yet, here they are.

"Well, that makes two of us. But if you really wanna help... get some rest. You're in no condition to go anywhere right now."

Ruby wanted to object, but when she moved her arm, she felt the sting of her bruise and winced. Maybe he was right about that.

"Besides, our enemy's trail leads all the way to Haven Academy. That'd be quite a trip for a pips—"

Before Qrow could finish, he noticed Ruby's glare at him. Being called a pipsqueak was the last thing she needed to hear after the horror she went through in her fight with Cinder.

"For a young lady like you."

Ruby's glare faded and her face gave him a smile that told, 'that's more like it.' Qrow got a little chuckle out of it as he began walking out.

"Catch ya later, kiddo."

With Qrow out of the room, Ruby felt a little better. Thanks to him, she knew where to go next. And on top of that, he was willing to level with her as if she was an adult. He must've supposed it helps them cope with reality faster. It did make it easier for Ruby. Still, she can't exactly go by herself to Haven. That's where she began to consider the variables.

For one option, Ruby could go to Team JNPR and have them come along. After all, one of them is linked to the Fall Maiden. On another note, on the off, but admittedly possible, chance that they run into Cinder, which she hoped for, Ruby would do everything she can to help Pyrrha avenge not just the Fall Maiden, but to avenge everyone who died because of her. However, that isn't to say she didn't consider her own team. Since her fight, she'd wondered where Blake and Weiss went since the aftermath. For that answer, there's really only one person to go to: Yang.

* * *

Once her bruises went down some, Ruby was able to go to see Yang. She was doing exactly as she expected her to do in her situation: looking out the window. It isn't like she could do much with just one arm at the moment. Ruby felt bad for Yang to be seen like this. She couldn't imagine what must be going on in her head.

She tried to ask her before, but Yang wouldn't speak to her. The wound was still fresh. But it's been some time since then. Maybe there's a chance she could at least utter a word. Ruby cautiously went inside her room and sat by her on the bed, looking out the window just as a Raven landed on a tree branch. However, the two didn't pay much mind to it as their eyes were more focused on the horizon. Whether or not she would speak, Ruby was the first to speak.

"Hey, Yang."

"Ruby."

Ruby looked to her right to see Yang looking upset. That was enough to make her assume what happened since then wasn't good. Not that she fared any better, knowing that Cinder's words still lingered, mocking her goal.

_Not until you get rid of me._

"I'm... I'm not okay."

"Yeah. Me neither. It's all gone. The school... Penny... and—"

"Our team? What happened to them?"

Ruby's tone suggested that she knew where it was going. And it told Yang how much she'd changed. If that wasn't the indication, her angry, far-off look would've been.

"Weiss's father... came for her. No one outside of Vale knows what happened here. Before the tower fell, the last thing people saw was Atlas attacking innocent people and Grimm destroying the city. Everyone's scared. No one knows who to trust. So, Weiss's father came to take her back to Atlas, where he thinks it's safe."

Ruby still maintainer her look, but was grateful to hear she made it okay, nonetheless.

"Well... at least we know where to find her. What about—?"

Before Ruby could finish, Yang piped up in a hurt voice.

"And Blake ran! Sun saw her go. After we got to the city... she just... ran!"

Ruby looked over to her big sister and began to feel sorry for her. Blake was her friend, too. She had every right to be upset.

"Run where?"

"I don't know. And I don't care."

If she were her more cheerful self, she would be utterly struck with hurt. She'd have a bundle of questions, like why she'd run and what reason could she have for doing this to them. But she wasn't her cheerful self. Not anymore. And it was all Cinder's fault. She killed her...

"Okay. As long as I know they're alive, I think I can live with that."

"Yeah. Bad things just happen, don't they?"

As Yang said this, the raven that stared at them flew away, catching her attention for a bit out of curiosity. Then, Yang turned back to see Ruby maintaining her glare. She couldn't understand why she's acting this way. Come to think of it, she didn't get to ask what happened to her. She was about to before Ruby spoke up bitterly.

"It's not fair."

"Ruby..."

"It's not _fair,_ Yang. Why didn't I notice when I walked by her? Before we prepared to go against the White Fang, I just _walked_ by her. I could've stopped this. I could've stopped _all _of it."

Ruby's hands began to clench hard into fists. Yang tried to calm her down, but Ruby still spouted off to herself.

"Ruby, you weren't the only one who—"

"But I didn't! Cinder was able to pull it off... because of me. You lost your arm, because of me! Penny's dead because of me! And it's not fair... I had the chance to make it all right, to stop her... and I blew it. Maybe she's right. Maybe I am a failure..."

Ruby began to cry softly as her tears dropped onto Yang's blanket. She leaned closer to her little sister and held her one arm around her head as Ruby placed her head on her shoulder.

"Ruby... you're not a failure. Maybe you messed up, but I know you did all you could."

Hearing this, Ruby pulled away from Yang, showing a glare.

"No, I didn't. If I did... Cinder wouldn't be alive."

Yang was shocked to hear Ruby say that, even if she did go through the worst day of her life. Not once did Ruby ever want to kill someone, not even in joking. That's how innocent she was. But now, that innocence has died. She might as well have, too.

"Ruby... how can you say that?"

"Because it's true. She's the reason our lives are ruined, Yang. We could've all been having just another day at school if it wasn't for her."

"Well, what are you going to do about it?"

Yang expected her to say that she doesn't know. However, Ruby was quick to answer her, and not in the way she would've wanted.

"Something I should've done when I had the chance."

"Wha— You don't even know where to find her!"

"Actually, I do. Uncle Qrow said Haven Academy is where they're headed. So that's where I'm going."

Ruby got off from her bed and walked towards the door. Meanwhile, Yang was adamant in her position against what Ruby intended to do.

"Y-You can't do this by yourself!"

"Well, what do you expect me to do? Just let it slide?! Just forget any of it ever happened?!"

"Ruby—"

"You would never do that! You didn't show any mercy, not even to Mercury! So why should I?!"

Ruby's words earned a gasp from her older sister. But it wasn't what Ruby said that made her shocked: it was what she admitted. All this time, even before the fall, Ruby said that she knew Yang wouldn't do it on purpose. By the time Ruby realized it, Yang was becoming more upset as she bore a sad face. Hurting her sister was the last thing she wanted.

"Yang... I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like—"

Yang didn't let her apologize, turning away from her, hurt that Ruby, her own little sister, would doubt her.

"Forget it. You can do whatever you want. I'm gonna lie here."

"Yang..."

"Just leave me alone."

Ruby began to shed tears from her face again, but in tiny drops. She was aware it was her fault that time, but it still stung that Yang would abandon her. And if there was one thing her fight with Cinder has taught her, she must always push back. Besides, her staying behind would be the best option for her anyway. Her face began to turn angry, her teeth gritting in hate.

"You know what...? Fine! You want me to leave you alone so bad?! Then BE ALONE!"

Ruby made no hesitation to slam the door as she ran out. But when she did, a picture fell from the nightstand beside her and broke apart, the glass bursting into the air before scattering themselves, leaving only the crumpled picture of Ruby, Yang, and Taiyang on the floor amidst the broken glass, a shard of which separated the sisters from each other with a tear for Yang to stare at. The sight of it was too much for her to take, and so, she turned away in tears and held her head down as a brown leaf fell from the tree and onto the floor, a telltale sign that said Fall was just around the corner.

* * *

In the next season, Winter, that same leaf was now buried in snow. Ruby had just exited the house as she closed the door. She was now wearing a new outfit which retains the use of a black skirt with red tulle underneath, somewhat similar, but her waist cincher has been replaced with an overbust corset with a red strip holding it in place. Along with that, a black belt bordered in red holds the magnetic clip for Crescent Rose and its ammunition. She also has brown straps on her blouse that allow her to wear a small brown backpack. It was to prepare herself for the trip to Mistral and whatever it had to offer. But as Yang told her, she can't go alone. That's where JNPR came in.

They all agreed to help Ruby go to Haven and to stop the enemy. Well, except for Pyrrha. Supposedly, since Beacon fell, Pyrrha distanced herself from the team, though this time, Jaune understood why. She's afraid of putting everyone at risk by her link with Cinder. It was just a risk she wouldn't dare take.

Anyway, aside from Pyrrha's absence, Jaune, Nora, and Ren we're still willing to help her get to Haven. According to Qrow, that's where they'll attack next. Not on their watch. They're not going to fail again... Ruby turned to the team and began to feel unnerved. Determined as she is to go to Haven, Ruby felt as though she's putting them at risk just by bringing them with her.

"So... are you sure you guys are willing to do this? Haven's a long way to go."

"I know. But it's the only lead we have."

"The journey will be perilous. And whether we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain."

"But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it."

Ruby gave a smile to her team, eager to begin their new journey.

"Then let's get started."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a dark, barren wasteland, Merlot watched as the black pool of darkness bubbled. And he wasn't alone. Beside him was his newly created soldier, Paragon. While he watched in amazement, she looked on with curiosity. Soon, it was manifested into words.

"Father... why are we here?"

Merlot turned to her and saw her desire for an answer. Yet, she waited patiently for it. Then, he turned back to the black pool as he responded.

"I stand here today because of a fated encounter, very many years ago when I was still a young lad. I never knew who he was and perhaps I never will. But I see now the truth he spoke of."

Paragon became confused about this fated being he met.

"He?"

Merlot turned back to Paragon before he spoke onward, mainly about his appearance.

"Let's just say that 'he' was a lot like you."

Paragon became intrigued by this answer. Were there others like her? And if so, where are they? She needed to know. But as she did now, she will wait for the answers. She will ask on her own time. She owed her "parents" that.

Meanwhile, Salem was on top of a mountain cliff, overlooking the barren wasteland with a dark purple sky and the many Grimm that emerged from the black pools as she recalled what Cinder "told" her. She'd been forced to rely on Emerald for communication since Ruby broke her larynx. It was something unexpected of a little girl. Although, Salem knew she'd find a use for that. It's how Cinder came to be at her side. And she'll see to it that history repeats itself in her favor...

"This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin..."

Salem then turned her head behind her with her red eyes glaring brightly.

"And I can't wait to watch you burn."

* * *

_**Play Casey Lee Williams Music: "Fear"**_

As the piano music interlude played, a tower stood by itself in a grassy plain with the sun rising behind it as a young girl with blonde hair that had a long end going over her left shoulder, a white long-sleeved dress, and sapphire eyes overlooked the grassy setting in front of her as she held her hands close together before four different-colored orbs, one red, one black, one white, and one yellow, floated above them as the following words appeared.

"**Rooster Teeth First Presents"**

The orbs then scattered out of her tower and through the clouds.

Upon passing through the clouds, the scenery changed to Vale in ruins before the red orb went to the Mistral continent while the black went to an island below it, the yellow one to a small island of Patch near where it'd just broke free from, and the white one to Atlas before letters appeared in red.

"**RWBY****"**

"_Most of the time, we coast along, safe from the storm"_

As the singer sang the lyrics, Ruby was walking by herself before the wind blew by her to show Jaune, Ren, and Nora waved to her with a smile before they walked together as a crow flew by them. Not long after, Qrow could be seen brandishing his Harbinger before the leaves blew around him to go to Pyrrha, who now wore a dark brown coat over her armor before pulling down the hood to show her hair down as the leaves blew by her hair, swaying with the wind as the sun shone on her.

In its bright light, the scene changed to show Weiss reading a book before she turned behind her to see Klein, Whitley, and a man with tan skin, brown hair, a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, and grey pants smiling to her before she saw Ironwood, Jacques, Winter, Willow, and a girl with blue hair, red eyes, and blue markings all over her body before Weiss broke down with a white glyph breaking behind her like glass as the singer sang.

"_We follow our hearts, trust what feels right, keep to the norm"_

The scene changed again to show Blake on the edge of a transport ship before Sun ambushed her with a hug, much to her embarrassment before Ghira placed his hands on her and Sun with a smile before he pushed the boy away where Kali could take his place as she smiled fo her daughter, much to Blake's content before her glum face returned as she looked to the side.

The scene changed again to show Yang training with Taiyang before she held her hand out to him and he did the same. However, Taiyang then changed into Neopolitan who gave her a smile with her umbrella behind her head before Yang closed her eyes and began to fall backwards before her hand caught Yang's as the overlays behind their silhouettes showed Adam on Yang's side and Raven on Neo's with one half of their faces shown each as the woman sang.

"_We are lucky if our lives can avoid it."_

Then, the barren wasteland appeared as the setting with Watts on one pillar before it showed Tyrian smirking devilishly on another with Cinder having a look of regret on her face as Hazel made an angry look with his teeth gritting before it showed a man with silver hair, a beard/mustache combo, wrinkles on his face, purple eyes, and a black coat named Dexus on another pillar, holding a glare before Salem held her head up.

Not long after, Merlot's face appeared in place of hers with a smirk before it showed Paragon with her wrist blades stretched out as her arms crossed over her body upward with two more on each side of her, with a young man with deathly white skin, slightly spiked hair that falls past his shoulders in the back and has four bangs framing his face and black veins showing on him and a man with the same deathly white skin, silver long hair that reached to about mid-back with some of it falling over his shoulders on her right.

As for her left, it showed a man with deathly white skin, short hair, and a moon-shaped scar on the right side of the face, as well as a man with the same pale skin, and silver hair that reaches to the base of his neck in the back and is styled into rather messy, vertical spikes and bangs that frame his face. All five of them had the same red eyes as Salem as they opened in unison while the woman sang.

"_But fear changes all of our choices."_

Suddenly, Ruby came under attack in an abandoned village by the man farthest from Paragon's right side as she used her scythe to block his sword with an angry look while he smirked at her before the scene changed to Atlas where Weiss, the young girl, and the boy came under attack in a dark hallway before seeing the penitent Cinder, the cunning Watts, and the vicious Dexus alongside a man in a vest with black shades over his eyes, a mask over his mouth, and a metal right arm holding a red star on it in front of them far away with the former smirking to them as the woman sang.

"_Who will you see there in the darkness when no one is watching?"_

Next, Blake came under attack in the moonlight as Ilia used her electric whip to slash at her, only for her to vanish in afterimages repeatedly before she turned behind her to see Blake, the two of them having a stand-off before it showed Yang and Neo in the forest fighting Tyrian in the forest alongside a young woman with tan-colored skin, short brown hair, icy blue eyes, a tattoo of a bird rising from flowers on her left arm, a brown vest over a torn white shirt, and a collar that appears to spike up behind her neck as Tyrian grinned at the three of them.

"_Who will you be when you're afraid and everything changes?"_

Then, Pyrrha can be seen fighting Paragon, her sword being used to block her wrist blades before pushing her back, only for Paragon to lunge at her and urge Pyrrha to dodge, causing one of her blades, one that glowed dark red in its markings, to make a crack in the ground that glowed bright red before it showed Team RWBY in a dark wasteland as the purple sky parted to show the words in the pale light of the broken moon as the woman sang before the screen turned black.

"_Will you see a stranger, feel proud, or betrayed?"_

"**RWBY: Volume 4**"

After which, a new set of words appeared in the otherwise empty black screen before they, too, faded away.

**"Series Created By: Monty Oum."**

_**End Casey Lee Williams Music: "Fear"**_

* * *

**A/N: Here it is, another chapter for my rewrite! Now, as you can see in my makeshift intro, these details will be occurring later in my story. So, I hope you all keep your eyes on this story. You'll never know which one will happen next... Unless you refer to the intro itself for sequential order, but you know what I mean. Anyway, have a good day. :)**


	3. The Next Step

**Chapter 2:** The Next Step

Months later, at a barren wasteland, a black pool was bubbling as a deathly pale hand stretched itself out of the liquid. After which, it placed itself upon the ground beside it. It pulled itself to the surface, revealing more of the being as it crawled desperately away from the strange matter. When it fully emerged, the being was but a woman, now possessing white hair and red eyes as she coughed to get the liquid out of her body. As she got her breath, footsteps approached her and a foot was planted beside her. It was coated in a black matter that seemed to stretch all the way across the body, from head to toe, even her wrist blades that were once bleach white, but have now turned metal obsidian. The woman looked up and noticed her figure being fully exposed, revealing her white belly and her two mounds partially exposed as the matter only went over the middle from the bottom. The woman then gazed up to her face, wrapped around in the black matter as a sort of armor with a black spike protruding on the back of it as she smiled.

"Welcome, sister. I am Paragon."

Paragon extended her hand to the woman, who cautiously took it before she was pulled up to her feet, exposing her own deathly pale skin. Unlike Paragon's, however, her whole body was fully exposed to the cold air. Shocking as it was for her to be in this state, other questions took priority.

"W-What am I doing here? Who am I?"

"You were created from the black pools of the Grimm. And you... are my sister."

"Sister...?"

The woman had a confused look on her face. Paragon knew that she'd be willing to believe her with a face like that. That meant she could have someone to herself. Since being shown the black pools for the first time, Paragon wanted to have others like her. It meant there'd be someone she can relate to. And if there's more than one of them, so much the better. Paragon gave a gentle smile and placed her hand on her back as she walked with the woman.

"That's right. Come with me. I'll tell you everything."

The woman felt her touch. It felt so soft... and warm. And the way she spoke was as if she listened to an angel. It was reassuring to have that in her situation. So, she was willing to comply.

"Yes, sister. Thank you."

Paragon and the new recruit walked from the pools of darkness to the castle lying just on the mountain. What neither of them knew was that Merlot, Emerald, and Mercury oversaw the process through the window. He was smiling, as if he'd witnessed an infant grandchild of his own, while Emerald and Mercury were shocked to have seen it at all.

"Miraculous, is it not? The creation of beings that are neither Grimm... nor human. Truly, the perfect evolution in the new world. It does my heart good to see such a success."

Just then, they heard a snap of fingers behind them. They turned to see that it was Cinder. In light of her scarring battle against Ruby, she now wears a long, dark red dress with one long, wide sleeve hiding where her left arm should be. And the left side of her face now bore a mask made of black glass, though it, too, was hidden by her now shorter hair that covered the left of her face. Mercury and Emerald rejoin Cinder while Watts mocked the two of them.

"Yes, yes, please keep your... posse in check."

Mercury clenched his fist before he tried to retaliate, only for Emerald to stop him. All the while, Watts seemed proud of the fact that Cinder hadn't spoken a word since Beacon's Fall.

"You hear that? Silence. I've half the mind to thank the girl that bested you."

Dexus knew that he wasn't quite correct on that matter.

"I'd hold off on that, Watts. _You're_ still talking."

Watts only glared at Dexus as Tyrian gave his two cents on how he would've handled things.

"If I were you, I'd hunt her down... find her, and... Well... she took _your _eye, didn't she?"

Knowing very well about the other side of Cinder's power, Merlot believed otherwise as he spoke to the snickering Tyrian.

"There is much you don't understand, Tyrian. And the same goes for you, Watts. Powerful as she was with the hatchling in her heart, the hatchling that granted her access to steal the powers and life force of a Maiden, there was a flaw. When Cinder's anger began to erupt, her heart, or rather her parasite which chose her as its vessel, recoiled from the powers of the Fall Maiden that exhumed brightly upon its shadow. As you know, it carries a dire effect on her heart, and whether she knew or not, that was the opportunity the girl needed. And I'm certain she learned that she cannot repeat this mistake. Didn't you, Cinder?"

Cinder tried to respond to Merlot, but her voice could not find it in itself to emerge, coming out only as a groan from her struggle to speak. Four months since the girl broke her larynx. Four months, and that was all she could manage? How infuriating... Cinder has no choice but to whisper to Emerald as her messenger. Watts wasn't impressed with that before, and he wasn't impressed now.

"Pathetic. Why did you even—"

Before Watts could finish, the doors opened to reveal Salem walking into the room as they stood up. As her footsteps echoed in the room, Merlot took a small bow while Salem stood in front of the candles before she spoke to him.

"Watts. Do you find such malignancy necessary?"

Salem waved them down, giving them permission to sit down as Watts tried to explain herself.

"I apologize, ma'am. I'm not particularly fond of failure."

Given Beacon's Fall, Salem found it hard to believe Cinder was a failure.

"Then I see no reason for your cruelty towards young Cinder. She's become our Fall Maiden, destroyed Beacon Tower, and— most importantly— killed dear Ozpin. So, I'm curious. To what 'failures' are you referring?"

As it happened, Watts knew the story.

"Well... the girl with the silver eyes."

That caught Dexus off guard.

"Silver eyes?"

Hazel agreed with him.

"Yes... We've dealt with her kind before..."

Dexus was reeling in denial from hearing this.

"Impossible! The Argents went extinct with Summer Rose some time ago! How is it they're still alive?!"

Hazel and Watts were focused on another matter.

"The more pressing question is, 'how is it a novice was able to best one of us?'"

"My thoughts exactly. Even without her new power, it should have been effortless."

Salem knew the answer already. Merlot explained it before.

"It is _because_ of the Maiden's power. As Merlot explained, her anger made a catalyst for the hatchling to resist, to put a strain on her heart in order to protect itself. That's how she was defeated. Make no mistake, Cinder. You hold the key to our victory. But your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness, which is why you will remain by my side as we continue your treatment."

Cinder didn't seem particularly happy with that as she made a scowl before Merlot noticed it. With that, Cinder began to call on Emerald for her message again. She whispered into her ear before Salem noticed. Clearly, something was bothering her.

"Speak, child."

"She wants to know... what about the girl?"

Watts scoffed at her words.

"What about her? Seems to me like this is Cinder's problem, not ours."

Dexus glared at him before clutching onto his arm, the bone threatening to break in his grasp, earning a stifled yell as Dexus spoke viciously.

"If you knew how dangerous Argents really are, you'd cram those words back down your throat."

Salem didn't find his demeanor encouraging, though she of all people was aware.

"That's enough, Dexus. You've made your point."

Dexus ceased his grip, allowing Watts to tend to his arm before Merlot cleared his throat.

"Perhaps I can send one of my Grimmites to contend with Ms. Rose?"

This made Emerald and Mercury look over to Merlot in surprise. He'd never called one out to the field before, for the purpose of studying them. This was the same reason Salem became interested.

"How so?"

"One in particular has skills that excel in stealth, combat, and the art of a clean kill. Baron of Team BLCK will be more than enough to dispose of Ms. Rose. Or, if Cinder prefers, he can bring the girl alive for her to do with as she pleases."

It piqued Cinder's interest. Insulted as she was to be a charity case, at least he knew what was on her mind. Salem interest began to get the better of her and she agreed to his proposal.

"Very well. Baron can find the girl that did this to Cinder and bring her to me."

"Of course, Your Grace."

"Doctor Watts. You are to go to Atlas Academy, meet with our informant there, and find out all you can about this... 'Grimmwalker'. Supposedly, she's key to the Esmerelda Protocol. If this assumption turns out to be true, then dispose of her."

Watts nodded to her in compliance.

"Very good."

"Tyrian, I want you to continue your hunt for the Spring Maiden."

"Gladly."

"And Hazel... I'm sending you to the leader of the White Fang. Adam Taurus has arranged the meeting. The boy continues to prove loyal. Ensure that Sienna Khan feels the same."

"As you wish."

Then, Salem turned back to Merlot. She hadn't forgotten that Cinder needed the rest of her power. With Pyrrha Nikos having hid herself, it will prove difficult to find her. However, it wouldn't be so hard with one of his Grimmites.

"And Merlot?"

"Yes, Your Grace?"

"I understand that this is the first time you've ever brought your Grimmites out to the field. But, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to send Paragon for the Fall Maiden. She will be expedient to Cinder's recovery."

Merlot only bowed his head to her as he replied to Salem.

"So be it, then. It shall be done."

"Because of your efforts, Beacon has fallen, and Haven will be next."

The group then stood up from their chairs before Tyrian turned to Cinder.

"Eye for an eye..."

Tyrian then began to laugh maniacally, much time Cinder's irritation as she gritted her teeth.

* * *

Far away, a boy suddenly woke up in alarm. A little bit after, he began to calm himself, taking a deep breath before he sighed. Afterwards, he began to emerge from the loft of a barn and climbed down a ladder placed in front of him. The loft of the barn was actually his bedroom. The boy is wearing patched khaki pants, a white shirt, and orange suspenders and gloves. Tucked into his pocket is an orange-based multi-colored cloth. He opens the barn door to a peaceful country scene with a rising sun and birds tweeting. White mountains are a background to a dirt road, grass, a few trees and a green water pump.

His name is Oscar Pine. He always lived in the barn of his aunt. She took him in when he was just a baby. When he was little, his parents were attacked by the Grimm on their way back home. Unfortunately, neither one survived the attack. Since then, his aunt took it upon herself to raise this little boy in her farm, where no negativity spawned as it wasn't anywhere in a town, or at least, the only place she trusted.

Although, Oscar was happy with his farm life. It's days like this that make him smile as he pumped water into a blue bucket, like he always did. As his gaze wandered the landscape, taking in the beautiful sunrise, he became distracted from the pump and uttered a quiet sound of surprise upon realizing he has overfilled the bucket. It always happened too often. He had a feeling his aunt wouldn't like that as his shoulders fell with a sigh.

Moving on, Oscar proceeded to work on the compost tumbler that is marked with a yellow crown and bearing the initials CK, adding in a new batch before he shut the door and turned it like a mill. Then, he began to hoe rows in a garden. It's how they'd make their vegetables grow, and mainly where they get their food. When he was all done with that task, he straightened up and looked out into the distance. Content as he was with farm life, Oscar had to wonder... what would it have been like out there?

* * *

Far away, in a lush, green land, Oscar wasn't the only one who wondered. In that land, there existed a lonely castle, one that had many weapons scattered all over the grass by the entrance, as if it was a graveyard. A small, young girl with blonde hair that had a long end going over her left shoulder, a white long-sleeved dress, and sapphire eyes was looking out of the window, sighing at the beautiful scenery in front of her as the sun rose behind the tower. She never got tired of seeing such a spectacle, although the weapons out in the field would unnerve her a bit. She never did like seeing them out like this. What if people came over?

Of course, no one ever went on this path but herself and her mother. The girl looked to the path, seeing for herself that no one was walking on it. Then, her gaze turned to beyond the gates. She often wondered what would it be like to go out and to see the world. This time was no different as a feminine voice shouted to her.

"Rachel! It's time for breakfast!"

"Coming, mother!"

Rachel turned away from her window and went to her bedroom door, opening it to see a woman with blue eyes, a light blue robe worn over a white shirt and pants with a shawl, sash, and skirt of a matching light blue color, white socks, grey slippers, and long, blonde hair that reached all the way to the middle of her back. She smiled to her young daughter as the two of them walked down the stairs.

A short time after, Rachel and the mother sat in a round table, eating a plate of scrambled eggs and warm, buttered bread as they sat in front of each other. As Rachel ate, her mother was getting curious on how she spent her time.

"So, Rachel, how was your story?"

Rachel gave her a smile as she looked up from her food. Because she spent most of her time inside the tower, Rachel was given many stories to read over for the time being. Out of all of them, "The Maidens" was her favorite. And she happened to be all finished with it.

"It was wonderful. I never knew there were people who had powers. And that man... I'm glad he was happy again."

Her mother gave a smile. She knew Rachel always preferred stories with happy endings. It's almost as though she cared about their lives. Maybe she did. And she wouldn't blame her for feeling that way. Besides her own, she didn't have much else to care about.

"I'm sure you are, dear."

Rachel turned her gaze to the nearby window on her left. She never got to meet one in person before. She probably would have by now if she wasn't cooped up here. Of course, Rachel never blamed her mother for protecting her. Still, she's been locked inside long enough. But how to go about it?

Rachel didn't want to come off as ungrateful. But at the same time, she knew that going out of the tower was what she wanted in her heart. Rachel's mother took notice of her far off gaze and became curious.

"Is something on your mind?"

Rachel snapped out of her trance and turned back to her mother.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I just had something on my mind."

Her mother knew right away what she was thinking about. And her expression saddened. It wasn't her intention to hold her daughter back. But until she's certain, she just can't let her out in good conscience.

"I know how badly you want to go to the outside world, Rachel. I want that for you, too. But you know why you can't leave yet."

Rachel hung her head down in sadness. She's heard it many times before. But each time, it made her upset, though she understood why she had to stay.

"I know."

Seeing how sad her daughter was getting, the mother got up from the table and went over to her, placing her hand on her shoulder.

"Rachel, I know it hurts, like it always does. But we both know you won't stay in the tower forever. You'll be ready, someday. I know you will be."

Rachel heard that all the time, too. At least, it was encouraging enough to push her doubts away. She felt her mother brush her cheek gently to move her lock of hair farther from her face as she looked up with eyes full of hope.

"I hope so."

After breakfast was done, Rachel's mother exited the castle and closed it before walking out on the path, lookin left and right at the numerous weapons left on their front lawn. She didn't know why, but she felt as though they had their own history in the tower. She wouldn't dare interfere with that. Meanwhile, Rachel looked on as her mother left the castle. One day, she'll be able to join her.

Until then, all she can do is wait. However, she of all people knew how difficult it was to wait. So, she went to a chair in her room and sat down before holding her hand in front of her. From her hand came many small colors of light going in a circle while four larger orbs, one black, one white, one bright orange, and one green as Rachel smiled at the orbs in front of her.

"One day, I'll be ready."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jaune, Nora, and Ren were walking in a forest by themselves. Since Beacon fell, they, along with Ruby, elected to go to Haven in an attempt to track down Cinder. Of course, they all had their own motives for doing so. For Ruby, it was obvious what she wanted. She wanted to get back at Cinder for destroying Beacon and for making her feel so powerless.

For Jaune, it was a different story. Cinder was the reason Pyrrha stayed away from them. He was told about Pyrrha being chosen as the next Fall Maiden. More than that, he understood why she was so upset when they talked about destiny. She wanted to hear him say that she should be free to make her own choice. This was the least he can do for her.

Ren and Nora were merely willing to help Jaune with that. Pyrrha was their friend, too. They couldn't just let this go unanswered. So, there they were, on their way to Haven. However, Ruby appeared to be missing as Nora and Ren were in a dispute over what they should be called from now on. It wasn't a permanent arrangement, but Huntsmen or not, they needed to have a name.

"I'm just saying, there's more members of JNPR in this team than RWBY. It just makes sense to go with _that_ one."

"But 'junior' isn't a color."

"Ugh! How can I be more clear?"

Comically, Nora made JNRR appear over her hand to prove her point while Ren made RNJR appear over his hand to counter her point.

"One... two... three! That's more than one."

"But we're helping Ruby with her objective. Wouldn't that make her the leader?"

Jaune, having heard the argument, wanted them to quiet it down.

"Guys. We need to focus. Also, JNRR is way cooler."

Hearing Jaune's vote Nora felt her point was made clear.

"Exactly!"

Ren tried to counter, but couldn't figure out how as he sighed in defeat before a rumbling shook the ground. Jaune knew it meant one thing.

"It's here."

To prove this, Ruby appeared in a red swirl of roses before turning back to normal and shooting at a stone-like giant that broke the trees away before it fell down with her as she landed in several branches.

"Bad! Landing! Strategy!"

Then, her clumsy descent was halted as she finally stuck a landing before using her semblance again to avoid being swatted away by the giant as the rest of the team looked on. However, Jaune didn't want to sit and do nothing.

"Let's get that thing off her!"

Jaune ran by the trees as Ren leaped on the base of the trees to land in a branch. Nora looked up to him before she shouted.

"Don't forget meee!"

She got her Magnhild out and pointed it at the ground before it fired pink smoke, launching her to the air before she landed on a branch next to Ren, who relayed the plan to her.

"We need to draw its attention away from Ruby."

Just as Ren related it, Ruby zoomed past the two before resuming her distraction.

"Could use some help!"

To assist Ruby with this, Nora aimed her Magnhild at the giant before launching her pink dust grenades at the creature while Ren leaped from tree to tree as it swiped away until there was an opening and he got onto its arm. Then, he leaped into the air and swirled before striking his StormFlower blades on its arm, only for it to have no effect, forcing Ren to jump over its back as Jaune tried to suggest a different strategy while Ren landed by him.

"We gotta get in closer!"

"My blades don't hurt him!"

To make matters worse, the giant seemed to have figured out their strategy as Nora didn't like it one bit.

"Crap."

With the giant having set his sights on the rest of the team, Ruby knew she had to think of something to stop it before it came to her.

"How about this?!"

For good measure, she added a voltage dust upgrade to her Crescent Rose before using her semblance to get in front of it and shooting at its arm, electrifying it, but to no avail. The giant slammed its arm to the ground and the dust of wind that resulted flung them farther into the forest. As they flew away, Ren and Nora landed, holding their shoulders in support as Ruby used her scythe to stop herself while Jaune ended up falling past Ruby and colliding with a rock on his back, grunting from the collision.

"Geez! I really wish I could've gotten a sword sooner."

Jaune was half-right to wish for that. At least then, he'd have a better chance at taking out the giant. However, the hard, rocky skin it used made it difficult. And frankly, Nora was getting sick and tired of it pretty quickly.

"That's it!"

As she ran toward the giant, Nora changed the form of her Magnhild into that of a hammer before jumping towards it and smashing its rocky arm clean off, only for it to use a black mist to grab the rocks that left its socket and toss them at Nora before Ruby interfered and sliced them. Meanwhile, Jaune got up and tried to loosen his muscles before he dodged a rock and a few others that joined in.

"Hey! Be careful—"

Before he could finish, a rock hit him in the face, knocking him to a tree. As Jaune recovered from the "assault", Nora, Ren, and Ruby distracted it before Jaune noticed the giant having a red mark on its arm socket where the rocky arm went missing before it produced a black skeleton arm with claws.

"Uh-oh..."

The giant's arm plunged itself into a tree before it took the place of its missing arm. And Jaune was the first to be attacked with it.

"His arm is a tree. His arm is a tree!"

As luck would have it, Ruby had just the dust cartridge to take care of it. It was a simple science, really.

"Big mistake!"

Ruby then turned her scythe into a sword before adding a different cartridge in and firing a red blast at the arm, to which Jaune smiled until he noticed the tree remaining in a fiery state. Burned as it was, it didn't faze the giant one bit. In fact, it only made his new arm much more lethal.

"Big mistake!"

He ran again as the fiery arm swung near him until he fell. Right when the giant was about to pound him, one of Ren's blades whacked it in the face to the ground before he could. Then, when everyone regrouped as the giant laid on the ground, Jaune tried to consider all of its weak points.

"Okay, how do we do this?"

Ren spoke up to him before Nora and Ruby as they switched between themselves and Jaune.

"His body is too thick to break through."

"It doesn't care about its body."

"Plus, it can keep adding new limbs!"

"But it's protecting its face..."

"We can't break it!"

This gave Jaune an idea. It seemed so insistent on keeping its face intact, yet it can replace the limbs when one falls of at a time. But if all the limbs are gone simultaneously...

"If we knocked all of its limbs off at once then went for the... Guys! I got it! We hit it... harder!"

Ren grew confused at his strategy. Why would he employ the same strategy that's already failed?

"Is that it?"

"No, seriously! It's trying to keep us from its face! If we kill the limbs, we'll have a shot to kill the whole thing!"

After hearing the explanation, Ruby, Nora, and Jaune were all in for the idea, especially when it means they won't wear themselves ragged.

"Alright. Come on, team! Let's do this!"

"Yeah!"

"Right!"

Jaune had the positions figured out in seconds after they agreed.

"Ren, left! Ruby, right! Nora... ready to try out the new upgrade?"

Nora nodded to him before she took off. With their roles set out, Jaune had to think of his own to make sure the plan would work. Fortunately, it didn't take too long.

"Right, then I will-"

Jaune tried to finish, but he ended up caught in the crossfire as he almost got squashed by its leg, forcing him to take evasive action. Then, Ruby moved in to attack its right arm before Ren shot at it, only for them both of them to be forced back as Nora charged it with pink lightning while Jaune distracted it to buy her time.

"Uh... Hey! Over here!"

The giant took notice and tried to attack Jaune as he rolled away from its fiery arm before Ren jumped in a rocky one and shot at the other arm. Ruby moved in to one arm next, slashing at it before firing at it, blocking it before she flew upwards. With that, she pushed a button on her scythe as Nora's hammer was fully charged.

"Ready!"

After slicing at it, Ruby used Crescent Rose to propel herself backwards and landed on the ground got before she turned to Jaune, who shouted to her.

"Use everything you've got!"

Ruby then darted to Nora with her semblance before the two of them turned into a swirl of pink and red roses, electrified by the pink swirl. Upon getting close enough, the swirl slashed at the fiery arm before it released Nora, who made no hesitation to hit its face, knocking it squarely off of the colossal giant before a rock just landed. Out of it came a Geist in its true state. It's appearance was that of a ghost with pointed bony pads on the shoulders, it's ribcage exposed, and long claws. As it retreated, Ruby pointed her Crescent Rose at it before shooting a small white bullet and destroying it, causing a few birds to fly away from the sound. With the monster vanquished, Jaune got to the others in triumph.

"Another victory for team JNRR!"

Saying it out loud, however, Jaune began to think that JNRR doesn't sound as cool as he first thought.

"Alright, y'know, okay... Ren, I think you're onto something. It... It... it's just not sounding great anymore. It's a good thing Pyrrha didn't know about that."

* * *

Later, the newly christened Team RNJR reported back to the chief of the village, who gladly shook Ruby's hand.

"We truly can't thank you enough."

"Just doing our job, sir."

"That Geist had been plaguing our village for weeks. We were beginning to wonder if we'd have to relocate."

"Well, we are on our way to Mistral... you could always come along with us if you don't feel safe."

The village chuckled at Ruby's suggestion.

"Heh... I take it you're not from these parts. Anima is a large continent... I'm afraid our people would never survive the long trek to Mistral. It may be safer in the Kingdoms, but we prefer our way of life. I just wish we could pay you more."

Ren, however, didn't feel it was necessary. They've been through enough already.

"Our previous arrangement is more than sufficient."

* * *

Later, at the blacksmith's shop, the Faunus blacksmith who had horns on his head like a bull's set down a new armor for Jaune. It was a part of their arrangement. In exchange for their help in destroying the troublesome Geist, Jaune would get an upgrade to his armor. Now that they've completed their end of the bargain, they were getting just that.

"There you go, son! It's gonna be heavier than you're used to, but you'll thank me the next time you go up against a set of claws!"

Jaune was overcome with gratefulness as he saw the gleam on the new armor that was prepared. He didn't know how to feel about that.

"Wow... Uh... I don't know what to say."

"Don't gotta say anything! Just put it on! I'll go get the rest."

As he left for a moment to retrieve the rest of the armor, Nora turned to Jaune, eager to see it on him.

"So... What are you waiting for?"

"Oh! Uh... right!"

Jaune took off his current armor and set it down. Perhaps it was for the best.

"Guess I was gonna grow out of it eventually..."

Ren saw this as a good thing to be trying on new armor.

"A sign of progress."

"Yeah. Progress."

Then, as he turned, Ruby gasped before she started snickering at something on his shirt: a bunny with long ears.

"Whuh... What is it?"

"What is _that_?!"

"What, my hoodie? I've always had this!"

Ruby continued to snicker at it before she shouted a certain detail.

"IT'S GOT A CUTE LITTLE BUNNY ON IT!"

Then, she started laughing her head off at it as Jaune tried to explain.

"It's Pumpkin Pete! Y'know from the cereal?"

"What did you do?! Send in a box top for a prize?!"

"Yeah! Fifty!"

That made Ruby's laugh more high in volume as she bursted in laughter before she started to faint from her excessive mirth. At that moment, Ren spoke to Jaune.

"Well... I suppose we don't have to grow out of everything."

Ruby woke back up and started laughing again, more lightly this time. It was a nice thing to hear, knowing how tense Ruby gets when Cinder is involved. It came much to Nora's relief as she smiled.

"You know, it's actually a good thing, especially considering... you-know-who."

Just then, the blacksmith brought out the new shield and set it on the table.

"Can't have a huntsman without his weapon! Made all the modifications you asked for."

Then, the weapon opened up to reveal a shield with a sword's hilt on top of that.

"That was some fine metal you brought me. Accents the white nicely. Where'd you get it from?"

Jaune took a look at the shield, gazing at the symbol on the armor. It was reminiscent of Pyrrha's sword and shield together. Pyrrha may be out in who-knows-where, but Jaune knew she would've wanted him to make good use of it, especially since she won't have much use for them as a Fall Maiden.

"From a friend."

* * *

Later, the group waited as Jaune tested out this new armor. They'd waited for quite some time since he got started. Fortunately, the wait was over the moment the door opened. Jaune was revealed to be in his new armor from Pyrrha. To demonstrate another feature, Jaune removed his sword from his scabbard and activated his shield. Even he was in awe at the design that was put into it. Proud of his work, the blacksmith gave a good opinion about the overall design.

"He cleans up alright, don't ya think?"

Ren could agree with him while Nora gave her two cents.

"He certainly does."

"I still think a grenade launcher would've really brought the look together."

Ruby grew even more pumped up than ever.

"Nothing's gonna stop Team RNJR now!"

Nora corrected unnecessarily before Ren countered her.

"Team JNRR!"

"Still not a color."

Jaune wanted to put the argument to rest, knowing what they'd have to face on the road to Haven.

"It doesn't matter what were called. As long as we're together."

The blacksmith checked with them about their plans, considering their service.

"You kids sure you won't stick around? You've been real good to this town."

Generous as the offer was, Ruby, Nora, and Ren stated that they had other plans.

"Sorry, but we've got another mission."

"Make it to Haven Academy, no matter what!"

"We've heard the next village has a working airship."

The blacksmith wasn't quite certain if there was such a village nearby.

"Mmm... no way to know for sure... Scroll signals were bad enough out here when Beacon Tower was still up. Haven't heard from Shion village in a while."

Ruby became surprised to hear this. If they had an airship, maybe they could get there that much faster. This made her optimistic for the first time in a long time as she set her sights towards the road ahead.

"Well... there's only one way to find out!"

The blacksmith watched as they took off from the village before going back to the daily grind. As he did, Jaune and Nora brought up an issue to be concerned about: scheduled supply maintenance.

"Food!"

"Check!"

"Water?"

"Check!"

"How 'bout ammo?"

"Locked and loaded! Thank you, Schnee Dust Company!"

"Got the map?"

"Uh... Ren's got it!"

Ren, however, disproved her words.

"No, I don't! You have it."

"Wait... what?"

That gave Jaune cause for concern.

"Guys, please tell me you're joking."

Nora nervously laughed before Jaune repeated himself.

"Guys! Guys? Guys..."

"Nope."

Jaune only sighed in frustration from hearing this.

"I just hope Pyrrha's having better luck than we are."

* * *

Meanwhile, a woman was walking by herself in the forest. She was wearing a brown cloak with the small silver pin resembling an autumn leaf on it. Normally, she wouldn't have elected this path, but as her duty, she simply had no choice. It was the only way to ensure her friends were safe. She often wondered, 'was this the fate of a Huntress?' But the truth was, she wasn't just a Huntress. She was also the Fall Maiden.

Pyrrha Nikos was at a loss for how things got to this point. And she thought her achieving her destiny in exchange for who she is was harrowing. Now, added to her worries was Cinder Fall. If she could have a link with her, there was no way for Pyrrha to know if Cinder wouldn't do the same thing. Stranger still, she's not alone in her mind. A voice spoke in her head.

_It's a lonely existence, I know. But trust me. You're doing what's right._

That voice belonged to Amber. It terrified Pyrrha at first, knowing how Cinder successfully slayed her. But, as it turned out, by the time she did, Amber's aura, her soul, merged Itself with Pyrrha's. It was beneficial for her since it helped to master her powers. And because it was a partial transfer, Pyrrha and Amber coexisted in the same mind. It was semi-comforting for Amber to be with her that way. Still, she wondered how Amber ever coped with this life.

"I know. But I still can't understand how you've been through so long without someone by your side."

_It's... more out of habit than by necessity. Before I ever had my powers, I wasn't really the best with people._

Pyrrha was reminded of someone in Team RWBY who didn't particularly take well to people at first as she gave a sad smile while removing her hood, showing that her hair was no longer held by a ponytail, but her hair was braided with a lock of her hair braided together across the rest of it.

"I think one of my friends can relate to you on that much."

Pyrrha felt a breeze of a chill air blowing through her hair as she gazed ahead. She felt it many times. She never did like how cold it always was. She could've sworn that another six weeks of Winter was fast approaching. The only thing that could be colder than that was... Ruby.

_You're not talking about Ruby, are you?_

"No. Why would I?"

_She abandoned her own sister, if you remembered what Jaune told you._

She did remember. Pyrrha recalled how hurt she was that Ruby would just tell Yang to be alone like that. Cinder must really be getting to her, not that she'd blame her. Maybe she should've asked Ruby about destiny, too.

"She wasn't always so... obsessed. She was so sweet. And caring. And she would never kill anyone."

_It didn't seem that way to me at Beacon. That's why you stopped her._

Pyrrha wanted to prove her wrong, but it was true. She did stop her from killing Cinder. But she wouldn't be around to stop her this time.

"I'm worried. What if... what if Cinder did kill her? What if she killed the Ruby we all loved?"

Amber didn't answer her immediately, only holding her tongue a moment. Pyrrha was afraid she wouldn't know, but her response proved otherwise.

_Cinder can't kill the gentle Ruby you know that easily. Only Ruby can make that choice._

"I know. That's what worries me..."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Weiss's mansion home up in Atlas, Weiss watched out the window as multiple helicopters appeared. She knew it could only mean one thing: General Ironwood. For all she knew, it could mean her sister, Winter, too. Frankly, she could use their company. In fact, she hoped for it when she heard the door knocking.

"Yes?"

As an answer, however, a butler with a slightly bald head with light brown hair on the side of his head and a mustache walked to her and bowed down to. He wasn't what Weiss was hoping for, but he's a good face to see in light of her current familial situation.

"Pardon the interruption, Ms. Schnee, but your father wishes to speak to you."

Weiss sighed. Her father always expected better from her. To be honest, Weiss couldn't care less about what he thought, but she's only sucking it up to maintain her standing as heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. As things stand now, it's the only certain way she could set things right like she planned.

"Thank you, Klein."

Weiss reluctantly got up off of her chair and walked away, exiting her room before the door closed.

* * *

Meanwhile, a man in a black jacket with a grey shirt underneath it, a black sword in a scabbard, and dark black pants was walking on the path to a nearby town. He had a hood over his head though his jacket was unzipped to show his shirt. The only thing to be seen at the time are his mouth and red eyes which glowed in the shadow of the hood. Far ahead, he can see smoke from a nearby village, as well as the incessant screaming. He can feel as though those screams were calling to him. But why?

The man continued his walk to the village to find out. The answer was right in front of him. There were bandits stealing goods left and right. It seemed to be the whole tribe. And the ringleader appeared to wear a mask that was similar to the Grimm. Could it be the White Fang's doing? Very unlikely, since they don't waste their time on smaller towns. Either way, they are nothing but prey to him, especially the Huntsman that laid prey to the woman's foot stamped on him as her ringleader spoke to her…

"Remember, we only need to take the essentials. We can't afford to take anything else."

Then, he took notice of a young woman with tan-colored skin, short brown hair, icy blue eyes, a tattoo of a bird rising from flowers on her left arm, a brown vest over a torn white shirt, and a collar that appears to spike up behind her neck. Somehow, he could sense an overwhelming power from her. He had to wonder. Is she the Spring Maiden he heard so much about? It was an idea worth exploring, but he had orders. And he had no intention of doing anything more nor less.

"You truly can't afford anything at all, can you?"

The woman and the tribe leader turned behind her and saw the man. Neither one of them were impressed with him. The latter of the two spoke to him first with distaste.

"You've got a big mouth, don't you?"

"And you've got quite the reputation… Raven."

Raven was getting irritated with this man. Doesn't he know his place?

"That's right. I do. Which is why you should know that I don't kill with hesitation."

The man only smiled at her. This wasn't the first time he'd heard threats like this. It made no difference to him if it was his first threat, He already knew how it all worked.

"Try it, then. While you still can."

The woman made a preparation for that as she got out her two crescent shaped blades, each with a ring-shaped center. However, Raven waved her off.

"No, Vernal. You can leave him to me."

Raven then drew out her sword from her sheath while the man casually placed his right hand on his sword with a small smirk. Raven then lunged at the man, only for him to pull his sword out swiftly and counter her red sword with his black katana, creating a shockwave that blew his hood off of him while letting loose his silver hair. Raven looked into the katana as their blades clashed. But she began to regret that. What she saw in the reflection was not herself, but a woman with raven hair that held red highlights at the bottom. She was also wearing a white cape and a black corset. Raven knew all too well who it was as she heard a scream for it.

"Summer?"

Raven then looked up to the man to demand how he's doing what he did. In doing so, however, she saw his deathly white skin, his red eyes, and his silver hair that slightly spikes and falls past his shoulders in the back, and he had four bangs framing his face. Seeing such a face earned an audible gasp from her before he smirked devilishly at her. He then took the opportunity to knock her back while scratching her mask at the forehead. Raven made a recovery, but she's begun to breathe as though she'd been wounded. It came much to Vernal's worry.

"Raven, are you okay?"

Raven only looked up to the man, shouting at him.

"Who do you think you are, using that trick?! You're nothing but a coward!"

The man gave a smirk to her as he replied.

"Says the one hiding behind a mask."

Raven only growled before hearing growling behind the man. That can only mean one thing… the Grimm. The man didn't seem to care or be bothered by their sound. He maintained his smirk at Raven while she made the only choice she could concerning her tribe.

"We have to leave."

"But, Raven-"

"Now."

Vernal heard the fear in Raven's tone. For her to be this scared, he must truly be fearsome. What did he do to her? For now, Vernal had to call the others away. Their safety took priority first over questions.

"Everyone! We need to go!"

Every bandit within her range heard Vernal's voice and they all noticed the Grimm behind the man. They made no hesitation to run with Raven and Vernal, one after another following their lead. With the bandits having left the town, the man gave a small chuckle before seeing the Huntsman lying on the floor. Vernal was holding him underfoot before. Maybe he can give him some clarity. Or if not, then he'd give him a slow, painful death. He approached the Huntsman, katana in hand as he inquired of him.

"And you. Perhaps you can elucidate for me. Where… is… Ruby Rose?"


	4. Remembrance

**Chapter 3:** "Remembrance"

At her mansion, Weiss walked through many rooms from the dining room to a room featuring a two-headed snake with the bottom of it being another head and attacking each other. It's almost symbolic to her own situation. Her mother and father used to be together, but when he admitted that he just married because of the family name, she was heartbroken and angry with him. They drifted apart quickly after that. Weiss has never felt so alone any more than she did now. As she walked by the piano room, she heard the voice of her brother, Whitley from behind her.

"Good afternoon, sister. A pleasure to see you out of your room for a change."

Weiss wasn't interested in what he had to say. She didn't exactly find any reason to be. He was always closest to their father, if he even had the right to be called that. Still, as her sister, she needed to be polite about it.

"Hello, Whitley. You're in a cheery mood, today."

"Klein made crêpes for breakfast."

Weiss decided at that point to find out why he wouldn't leave her alone as she rolled her eyes.

"What do you want?"

"I heard father shouting with someone in his study earlier."

Given her difficult childhood, Weiss had a feeling she knew who it was.

"Mother?"

"No, she's already drinking in the garden. I think it was a man. And... maybe a girl, too."

Weiss suddenly grew interested in it. There's only one man he could argue with: General Ironwood. And if he's here, there could be a chance that Winter might be nearby as well.

"I just wanted to warn you. I heard he had asked to speak with you."

Weiss began to get a hint of decency and concern from her brother. Not that she asked for it, especially with how odd it was. But, on the off chance he did care, it's nice to know that he showed it.

"I'll be fine."

"I know you will. You're strong, like Winter."

Weiss felt it weird for him to say so.

"You never liked Winter."

"True. But you can't deny her resolve."

"And you didn't like me, either."

"Well, if being kind to my big sister is some sort of crime, then I suppose I'm guilty."

As he began to show more decency than she should expect, if any, Weiss began to suspect something.

"You... seem different."

"And you've been gone. I'll have you know I didn't stop growing while you were away at Beacon."

Weiss knew what kind of growth he's talking about. He wasn't talking about his height; he's talking about his character. At least that's what he'd have her believe. Whether or not it's any good, however, was a mystery.

"Anyway, good luck with Father."

As he left, Weiss heard muffled shouting, presumably from Ironwood and Jacques. Maybe Whitley had changed after all.

"Thank you."

Then, she walked right over to the door, where her Father was waiting. Although, she wouldn't be going willingly for him. She'd be doing it for Ironwood. If anyone would understand her, there was no shadow of a doubt that he would.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ruby was sleeping in a sleeping bag by herself beside the others. As she slept, she could hear Pyrrha and Cinder's voices.

_Do you believe in destiny?_

_Yes._

Ruby twinged in fear. The voices were becoming too much for her to take as Cinder mocked her while Pyrrha and Ruby argued.

_Beacon is already destroyed._

_Her fate isn't yours to decide._

_There's nothing left for you to protect._

_Then whose is it?!_

_Nothing._

_TELL ME!_

* * *

Ruby woke up with a start, breathing frantically. She looked around to see that everyone else was still sleeping. And the sun was rising on that point. It must be morning. Good. That means she won't have to sleep again just yet. She's not ready to see her failure again.

Since leaving Patch to go to Mistral, Ruby has had dreams from that night. They all seemed to mock her being a Huntress. Her own being here is proof of that. They wouldn't have had to go to Mistral if Cinder just died then and there. She wouldn't have tried to escape, and they wouldn't be miserable. A part of her felt childish for blaming her, but childish or not, Cinder was responsible for everything. And she would never forgive her for this. Ruby tensed her fist and smashed it on the ground with a silent grunt.

* * *

Later, Team RNJR was walking to the next village as Ruby held a map. They were headed over to the next town like they set out to do yesterday. Rumor had it that they had a working airship. If they can just get on board of it, then their hiking of strife would finally be over.

"So, the next town is... Uh-huh! Uh-huh... We're lost."

Jaune knew she wasn't quite correct from history.

"We're not lost. The next town is Shion. My family used to visit it all the time."

"Oh, yeah. Don't you have, like, four sisters?"

"Uh, seven."

Ruby giggled at the number of girls on his side of the family. Meanwhile, Nora considered the hoodie from earlier and began to understand why.

"Y'know, that actually explains a lot."

"Wait, what do you mean—"

Before Jaune could start an argument, Ruby spoke up to start a conversation with him.

"So, what did you guys do there?"

"Oh! All sorts of stuff! Like over here is a great hiking trail, and over here is where we went camping all the time! I got my own tent because I was special. Also, so my sisters would stop braiding my hair."

"Didn't like the look?"

"Yeah, they just kept doing pigtails, but personally, I think I'm more of a 'Warrior's Wolf Tail' kind of guy."

"That's just a ponytail."

"I stand by what I said."

Then, when they got to the village, Ren and Nora noticed it was desolate and with clouds hovering above them as she tried to get Ruby and Jaune's faces out of the map.

"Uh, guys?"

"Huh?"

"What?"

Ruby and Jaune looked up to see the whole village in ruins and with multiple buildings destroyed before they looked around, but couldn't find one soul anywhere that is alive or otherwise. They quickly put the map away while and dashed into the apparent ghost town, hoping that they're wrong. While looking around, Jaune had an idea on what happened.

"Maybe they had to evacuate?"

Ruby wasn't going to give up, though.

"There could be survivors."

She was proven correct as Ren noticed that a lone soldier was wounded and set by a piece of debris.

"Over here!"

Instinctively, he ran over to him before the others did. Ruby figured out who he was at first glance.

"A Huntsman!"

Jaune asked the wounded warrior of what occurred.

"What happened?"

"Bandits. The whole tribe. Then, with all the panic..."

He coughed before Ren made a guess as to who else did the damage, figuring Dexus had something to do with it.

"Grimm."

The wounded Huntsman coughed as Ren stood up. Then, he began to speak more despite his injuries.

"No. Not just Grimm. There was another Huntsman. He called himself 'Baron.'"

This caught the group completely by surprise as they widened their eyes. Could they have overlooked that other Huntsman? Ruby wanted to be sure as she questioned him with worry.

"Well, where is he?"

"I wouldn't look for him. He had very pale skin... and red eyes. He was looking for... Ruby Rose."

Hearing this, Ruby widened her eyes fearfully. Who is this Baron that is after her? And why is he so interested in her? As the Huntsman coughed, Ruby stepped back, trying to wrap her head around that while Jaune tried to think of a way to help, though Nora found it doubtful.

"Alright, we can get him to the next village and try to find a doctor there. Ren and I can take turns carrying him."

"I don't know if he'll make it."

"He will. He has to."

Ruby's worry didn't go unnoticed as Jaune looked over to her.

"Ruby? Are you okay?"

"I don't know! What do you think?!"

As Ruby began to panic over who was after her, Ren, having been tending to the wounded Huntsman, had worse news to tell.

"Guys..."

It was too late. The Huntsman has perished not long after he'd finished his explanation. Despite having not known who he was, Nora wanted to do something to honor him. It wouldn't feel right to just leave him.

"Should we... bury him?"

Ren, on the other hand, felt otherwise. Somehow or another, this nightmare hit him too close to home. He began marching away from the ruined village past the now dead Huntsman.

"We should go. It's not safe here."

Nora looked to him in worry, worried about how he's acting. Ordinarily, he'd proceed with a burial, but not this time.

"Ren..."

She then joined him as Ruby concurred with Ren. She'd rather not focus on this Baron character over finding Cinder. For all she knew, it must've been someone trying to take advantage of the chaos. The way Cinder did...

"Ren's right. We should get moving. We heard there's a working airship here somewhere, right? Maybe we'll just take that and get out of this place. Hopefully, it didn't take too much—"

When she looked around, however, Ruby noticed the destroyed airship in the background. Yet, somehow, it didn't surprise her. Ruby didn't know why she thought it'd still be left in good condition amidst the Bandit and Grimm attacks.

"And... it's broken."

Ruby tensed her fists, frustrated with their current predicament while Jaune tried to comfort her. He was ware how high the stakes were for her. Since Beacon fell, Ruby made it her mission to destroy Cinder before she'd hurt anyone else. It's hurting her that she didn't stop Cinder in time. There's no telling when it'll ever go away. But that's why he's with her. Jaune wanted to help that hurt go away.

"It'll be okay."

Ruby didn't feel that way as she turned to Jaune.

"No, Jaune. Nothing is okay. Nothing will _ever _be okay!"

This earned an initial shocked look from Jaune. She's never snapped at anyone before, as far as he knows. Cinder must've hurt her really badly for her to act that way. And he wouldn't blame her for that. He didn't. Still, Ruby felt bad for how she'd just acted to him and tried to make up for it.

"I'm sorry, Jaune. I'm just tired of being a failure."

"Ruby, you haven't failed anybody."

Ruby only gave him a cold look as she countered him.

"Tell that to this village, Jaune. Nobody would've died if I'd only just been there..."

Ruby tensed her hand again, sick to the stomach with regret as Jaune held his head down. Meanwhile, as they walked away, Ren and Nora found a horse-shoe shaped footprint with a little dot under it. The two of them looked to each other in worry over what that could mean.

* * *

Back at the manor, Weiss overheard the argument as she freaked open the door. Her father, Jacques Schnee, was arguing with Ironwood as she expected. But what Weiss didn't expect was who accompanied him. It was a girl with blue hair, red eyes, blue markings all over her skin, and a white dress. Her father was frustrated on his latest policy, which banned any Dust trade. But what made him even more angry was his next proposal: the closing of borders. That was the last straw for him, as he was letting him have it while the girl watched in discontent.

"I'm not talking about the good of my company, I'm talking about the good of Atlas! Our entire kingdom!"

"That is a load of garbage and you know it."

"I beg your pardon?!"

"Jacques, will you please just hear me out?"

Jacques only slammed his glass to the table in response.

"You are a trusted friend and ally to this family, James. But what you're suggesting is absurd."

"You are blowing it out of proportion."

"The council will never agree to it!"

"You forget, I hold two seats on the council."

"Your Dust embargo has already cost me millions. I can promise you, I have not forgotten!"

"So, this _is_ about you?"

Jacques took a moment to sigh as he looked at the girl before he humored him.

"Alright. What proof do you have exactly that warrants this closing of borders?"

"The same reason I put up the Dust Embargo in the first place. I realized that by doing that, they'd have to go to Atlas personally to get the Dust themselves. I'll admit, that isn't something I planned on, but the truth is, it's going to attract the wrong kind of attention."

Jacques saw the opportunity to counter James and didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.

"And whose fault was that?"

Just then, the door closed, to Weiss's surprise before the two men and the girl turned to her.

"Miss Schnee. My apologies, we should have been gone by now."

"It-It's okay."

Weiss then looked to the girl and became curious as the blue-head backed away in anxiety.

"But... who is she?"

"Oh. Her name's Skye. Skye Volare. She's been through a lot, but to make it short, I took her in when she needed help."

Ironwood turned over to Skye and tried to reassure her.

"It's okay, Skye. She's a friend of mine."

"Are you sure?"

"It'll be fine."

Skye then began to walk towards Weiss cautiously, unaware of Jacques' scowl towards Ironwood before she tried to introduce herself.

"Uh... hi. My name's Skye. How are you today?"

Weiss couldn't believe how refined she was. She must've been under the impression that she's in a higher status than she was. While it was technically true, Weiss only wanted to be seen as a person, not as an idol. Regardless, she carried on with the introduction.

"I'm just fine. My name's Weiss."

Weiss held her right hand out to her, but Skye backed away. This made Weiss look to her in worry. Did she do something wrong?

"What's wrong, Skye?"

Skye turned her head away slightly as she sighed before Ironwood spoke up.

"Sorry. I forgot to tell you. Skye hasn't learned how to get alone with other people, yet. I was hoping she'd open up more by bringing her along, but... it's slow-going."

Although, not quite as slow-going as Ironwood thought. Skye looked back to Weiss and made a small smile her way. Weiss felt obliged to return that smile, but she wanted to see more from her. If only Jacques wasn't in that room with his condescending presence... Even Ironwood had enough of it as he turned to the head of the SDC.

"We'll continue this at another time."

"Indeed. Klein can show you out."

"Hmph, don't worry. I know the way."

Then, Ironwood walked away to the door with Skye following him as Jacques clenched his hand.

"Until next time, Jacques."

Jacques only gave him a nod before Ironwood turned to Weiss next.

"Please know, you'll always have a home at Atlas Academy, Miss Schnee. We'll be back in session before you know it."

As he left, Skye gave a sad smile to Weiss before she spoke.

"It was... nice meeting you, Weiss. I hope we'll meet again, soon."

"Me, too."

Skye began to walk out of the door, though her smile quickly went away into a saddened expression as the door closed. Weiss couldn't help but feel bad for her. What happened to her for Skye to be like this? Before Weiss could wonder why more, Jacques spoke up, slightly peeved at how she snooped.

"Did you forget your manners while you were away?"

Weiss retaliated mentally.

"_No. Did you?"_

Then, she calmed her temper before answering. As previously said before, Weiss only tolerated her father's orders to maintain her standing as heiress to the SDC. If she actually said what was on her mind, he'd take it away in a heartbeat.

"No, Father. I'm sorry."

He engaged in a conversation with her as Jacques walked up the small steps and back into his chair.

"Can you believe there are still people in the world that blame Atlas for what happened to Beacon? To Vale?"

Weiss found it understandable, although she felt they weren't too far off the mark.

"Well, they weren't there."

"It's a wonder Ironwood wasn't stripped of his rank. I suppose the council trusts him. For better or worse..."

"I trust him. I know Skye does."

Jacques didn't find it uplifting before he sighed and explained his side of he story.

"Thanks to _him_, Atlas is forbidden from exporting Dust to other kingdoms. 'A precautionary measure', as he calls it, Until were certain no one is going to declare war. How anyone could possibly find that to be sound logic is beyond me."

Weiss, however, knew it'd made sense. If she were in his place, she'd put the people first rather than profits, unlike her soulless father.

"Which is why the Schnee Dust Company will be holding a charity concert in the coming weeks. We need to show the people of Remnant that we are on their side. That we are all victims of the Fall of Beacon."

Weiss found it uncharacteristic, but in the case of the people's morale, that was one plan of his that she's grateful for. Hopefully, she can find people who actually sympathized Vale and what happened to it. If she could find one soul that felt bad for Vale and it's people, that's be enough for her.

"That's... wonderful news!"

"I know. And I think it would make a lot of people happy if you performed at the event."

This caught Weiss off guard to be put in this position.

"Excuse me?"

"Many forget that you were there. My own daughter—a Schnee—on the grounds defending another kingdom! We need to remind them. And we need to show them that the Schnee family is just as strong as ever."

Weiss tried to figure him out to determine if its for her benefit or the company's.

"Are you asking me if I'd like to sing, or telling me?"

"I think it would make a lot of people happy."

That gave her the answer. Of course he's doing it for the company's benefits. All he cared about was its image. She wanted to slap him right away, but at this point, angry as she was, Weiss didn't have any other choice but to accept in order to maintain her heiress status.

"I'll start practicing."

"That's my girl."

Outside the study, Weiss walked out and gently closed the door before smiling. The only good thing that came out of this, as far as she's concerned, was getting a good slap on him. However, that was merely an act of instinct. Another slip-up like that, and her position would be taken away. Just as she thought of this, Weiss heard Klein's voice.

"Hot coffee, Miss Schnee? I always find he keeps his study dreadfully cold."

Weiss smiled at Klein before taking the cup into her hands.

"Thank you, Klein."

"You know what I think?"

He then got out a tray and put it above his face before lowering it and showing red eyes.

"I think it's to balance out all his hot air!"

As he laughed, Weiss grew afraid that he'd hear this.

"Klein!"

Then, unexpectedly, he started sneezing.

"ACHOO! Hah... heh, apologies, Madame. Ah-Ah-AH-ACHOO!"

Weiss began laughing at his sneezing as his mustache wiggled.

"Ah, there's my happy little snowflake!"

Weiss smiled at Klein for his kindness before she thanked him again. Compared to her father, Klein was the one who actually fit the role.

"Thank you, Klein."

* * *

Later at night, in the forest, Ruby was having difficulty sleeping, but not because of her nightmare. This time, she kept hearing a voice that didn't seem to want to let her sleep. Ruby's eyes opened up before she heard a familiar voice.

"Jaune."

It was from Pyrrha. Ruby gasped upon hearing it. What's Pyrrha doing here?! Wasn't she supposed to be away from here?! Ruby got up and tried to find out if anyone else noticed, but they were all sleeping.

"Alright, Jaune. Just like we practiced. Follow these instructions..."

As she heard it, Ruby slowly got up and walked to the source to find Jaune unsheathing his own sword from his scabbard as a video from Pyrrha played. It must've been back when Pyrrha agreed to train him before the Fall. He's making good use out of it, training as he is.

"Alright, Jaune. Just like we practiced. Follow these instructions. Shield up."

Then, Jaune got the shield ready as per her lesson.

"Keep your grip tight."

Jaune clutched onto his shield and sword tightly following this.

"Don't forget to keep your front foot forward. Ready? Go!"

Then, Jaune yelled as he pointed the sword with a thrust.

"Again."

As he performed another step, he made a diagonal slash that caused a gust of air.

"And again."

Jaune did another slash behind him, getting a stronger gust as he got tired, taking a breather from the effort he did.

"Okay. Now, assuming you aren't cheating... we can take a break. I know this can be frustrating. And it can feel like so much effort to progress such a small amount. But... I want you to know that I'm proud of you. I've never met someone more determined to better themselves. You've grown so much since we started training. And I know this is just the beginning. Jaune... I... I... I want you to know that I am just happy to be a part of your life. I'll always be here for you, Jaune."

Then, the video reminded itself to the beginning of the session.

"Alright, Jaune, just like we practiced. Follow these instructions."

As the video went on, Jaune smiled solemnly.

"I just wish I can tell you the same."

"Ready? Go!"

Then, Jaune continued with his training as Ruby respected his wishes with a sad look on her face before walking away as Jaune swung his sword.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the tower, someone else was training, too. Unlike Jaune, however, it was more of a magical approach. Rachel stood by the fireplace, its fire long snuffed out. But she created an orange orb of light before launching it into the fireplace, starting the fire as the wood crackled. Rachel gave a small smile to herself.

"I guess I got fire covered. This time..."

Rachel looked over to the top of the chimney on the outside. She remembered the first few times she'd tried to use fire from her magic. One time, the fire went so big, it leaked out of the cracks in the stone bricks that were set up. Another time, it happened to char the bricks from the inside. Normally, it was meant to happen, but not in a tall height. She's just grateful it wasn't as big this time.

"What about ice?"

To test that aspect of her powers, Rachel procured a small white-blue orb before attempting to place it on the fireplace. When she did, it managed to put out the fire, but it also frosted the firewood. Rachel became embarrassed as she looked to her frosty hand before shaking the snow off of it.

"Better. But I think it needs more work."

Rachel began to stand up, but then, she heard a strange voice speaking behind her.

"Yeah, it'd be pretty embarrassing to have snow on firewood in the middle of summer."

Rachel gasped before turning around to see a man in a grey cloak. She hadn't seen that man before now. How could he have found this place?! In defense against this intruder, she held an orange orb towards him, threatening to turn him to ash.

"Who are you?!"

The man stepped back in surprise, holding his hands up in the air.

"Hey, hey! Careful where you point that!"

"How did you find this place?! Why are you here?!"

The man, at risk of being burned alive, tried to compromise with Rachel, hoping it wouldn't go southwards.

"Okay, okay. Why don't you just calm down, and then I can enlighten you?"

Rachel didn't know whether to trust him. His presence alone was enough to cause doubt. In caution, Rachel began to comply with his request, taking a deep breath as her orb disappeared.

"Okay, then. Enlighten me."

The man spoke in great relief as he sighed.

"Oh, thank you. Anyway, to answer your first question, I can't tell you that, but you can call me 'Helper'. As for how I found it, that's classified. But... I can tell you _why_ I'm here. The timeline has changed."

Rachel only looked at the man in confusion. She never heard anyone say that to her before. Maybe it was a concept of the outside world she didn't quite understand. But she planned to.

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll see..."

* * *

**A/N: Hello. :) I'm sorry for it being late, but here's the new chapter. This time, it showcased Weiss along with Ruby's finding out about the strange man that's after her, and a name to go with it. How would it affect her path? It's a surprise… Anyway, I realized that I forgot to add a few voice actors to the OC's presented up till this chapter. And as mentioned earlier, some of them belong to the people from Deviantart, including LongSean22. But the names below as far as actors and characters should clear it up.**

**Meghan Martin – Rachel**

**Ray Chase – Helper**

**Elise Baughman – Skye Volare**

**I hope it's cleared things up a little bit for you. And I'm also aware of the current Coronavirus outbreak that's happening. To all those afflicted or otherwise, I wish you all the best of luck. :)**


	5. Family

**Chapter 4:** "Family"

Far away, Yang was at her house flipping the channels with her one arm as her right sleeve was tied up to hold her lost one. Ever since the Fall of Beacon, when Adam Taurus took her arm, Yang has been adjusting to life with one arm, but with much difficulty. She still had yet to recover from the event. And yet... she had to wonder how Vale was taking it.

"...with no end in sight. Try as they might, the local Huntsmen and Huntresses can't seem to get a hold of the situation at Beacon Academy."

"...though the failsafes have supported wireless communication within the kingdom, the loss of the CCT tower continues to prevent contact with the outside world. Talks with Atlas regarding repairs have so far..."

"Vale council voted this week to continue to ban any air traffic that does not have a direct correlation with the evacuation. The council had made it clear that they feel..."

"Multiple rumors continue to circulate as to who was behind the attack at the Vytal festival tournament. While no one knows for sure, officials have confirmed that high ranking White Fang member Adam Taurus was present for the attack. Any and all attempts to bring him into custody have been met with brutal force..."

At this point, Yang turned off the T.V. The last thing she wanted was another reminder of her weakness. Being alone with it was hard enough, but it hit harder for Ruby to tell her that. To her, it was only yesterday when she slammed that door on her face in anger, and shattered their picture as a result. How could Ruby still go on? No... how could she be so dark about it? What happened to the Ruby who was so bright, so cheerful? Did she lose her, too? As she set the remote down, she heard footsteps and saw her father carrying a lot of bags and boxes.

"I'm home!"

Yang leaned back on the couch to see her father upside-down.

"Hey, Dad."

"Guess what came in today!"

Yang was getting curious about what made him so excited. "What?"

"I can't wait for you to try this..."

Then, she realized what he'd been talking about as she looked to her right stump. She'd forgotten that she wanted a new arm and made a request months ago when she came back. As he set it down, Yang was still trying to come to terms with it.

"Well?"

"It's... for me?"

"For you and you only."

With all that effort from his father and her waiting, she decided she at least had to look as she lightly opened it to see a silver metal arm.

"Brand new, state of the art Atlas tech. You know, I thought I was gonna have to pull some strings, call in a few favors, but you earned this one all on your own, kiddo."

"Huh?"

"Before I could even talk to him, General Ironwood already had one of his top scientists working on this... for you. He wanted me to tell you that you fought admirably. You should be proud of yourself."

Yang felt the complete opposite of that. How could she be proud when she lost her arm to a White Fang member? And a top ranking one, no less. At this point, her new arm would only cast a shadow she'd rather not see.

"Well? You gonna try it on?"

There was a moment of silence before she gave her answer.

"I, uh... I'm not feeling too great right now. Maybe later?"

He didn't know what to think. He thought that she'd be thrilled, but then realized she still hadn't completely recovered just yet and decided to leave her be.

"Well, Alright."

Then, Yang walked up to the stairs before turning back to her father.

"Thanks, Dad."

As she went back to her room her father showed concern on her recovery.

* * *

As time passed, Yang was sweeping the porch with her one arm before she got sweaty and set it on her stump before sighing. Next, she had to get mail from the mailbox, setting the envelopes in-between her stump and her body. Finally, she was getting herself a drink of water before the cup slipped. She gasped as it fell, momentarily bringing back a flash of when Adam hurt her, utterly causing her to panic as she stumbled back while breathing heavily. She slammed her fist on the table in a fit of disappointment toward the reminder of what a coward she is now thanks to Adam. No wonder Ruby left her... She was able to calm herself down, though, not noticing her father watching her daughter struggle to cope with the events before walking away sadly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cinder was dealing with her own loss of an arm. And she didn't fare any better. As Mercury and Emerald watched at the door, the hatchling that resided in her heart was clenching tightly on her, making her uneasy as it was procuring a new arm for her. But rather than a human one... it was pure Grimm.

Cinder didn't exactly have good memories about that. She had to admit that her mind still trembled at the thought of the 'failure' of Project: Quasimodo. His appearance was half-human and half-Grimm, yet nothing about his appearance was human. Could that be her punishment? Was she doomed to be a failure like it?

"Do you feel it? Don't fight it, girl. It can sense your trepidation. You must make it dread you."

How could she do that? It was literally squeezing the life out of her. She was completely at its mercy. The answer was lost to her in the moment, if there even was one. Just then, a small creature appeared. It had a spherical body that was covered with bone-like plates, along with red tentacles ending in white, bony spikes and a single eye that appeared to hold black smoke within it.

Mercury and Emerald could only look on as it went past them and beside Cinder and Salem. Then, the black smoke itself morphed into an image of a man who wore an olive green three-piece suit with coat-tails that go down to his knees. His brown vest features four gold colored buttons and the chain of his pocket-watch, and beneath this, he wore a black shirt with a dark red tie. Salem knew him well as one of her council.

"Good evening, my mistress."

"Ah. Clark Moran. About time I've heard from you."

"I apologize for the delay, however long it took. But with keeping up appearances and all that in Beacon, it was no easy task."

"Understood. Did you find the Relic yet?"

Clark, knowing how Salem was quick to cut to the heart of the matter, was ready to answer just as quickly.

"Not as of yet. The Grimm have searched every nook and cranny at Beacon, but Ms. Good witch always seems to get in the way. Though, I'd say her efforts are minuscule at this point. She's practically risking aura and life just to keep he town in one piece. Er, not that it's done any good to us so far. The Relic might as well be gone by now."

This made Salem turn to Cinder. The only weapon who could've given them this much trouble was Ozpin. It made her wonder. Was he really gone as she claimed...?

"Cinder. I'm gong to ask you this one more time and I expect a clear answer. Did you kill Ozpin?"

Cinder motioned to Emerald and Mercury to come to her, only for Salem to react angrily as she slammed on the table to make herself clear.

"No! I want to hear you say it."

Cinder mustered all the voice she could to form an answer before it came out raspy.

"Yes."

Salem then turned back to the Grimm with Clark's image and spoke up.

"Reinforce our numbers at Beacon. The relic is there."

"As you wish. Though, if I may... there's something I've meant to ask."

Salem raised an eyebrow at Clark, wondering what it could be about.

"Proceed."

"What exactly were Bartek's orders?"

Bartek. Yet another who was absent in her council meeting. He always had an enigma as unknown as his disposition. But mysterious as he was, his heart was just as easily swayed as the rest. As long as Salem can promise that to him, he should be manageable for the time being. And it may as well come to good use since nobody else knows whose side he's on.

"He should be looking for the Relic at Shade Academy. Why do you ask?"

Clark's face began to form suspicion upon it. Nevertheless, Clark responded.

"I see. I'll carry on with my duties, then."

The drone then dissipated Clark's image as it went out of the door, leaving Salem to ponder to herself. Ozpin must've been very clever to hide the Relic of Choice away. But the question is where...?

"What are you planning?"

* * *

_Meanwhile, Yang was somehow trapped in a bizarre realm hearing strange voices before looking at her hands and looking up to see Adam Taurus walking toward her. Then, Yang noticed she had her gauntlets on her arms before she fired bullets at him, only to phase through him as he prepared to draw his sword. She tried one more time, only to find that the gauntlets have disappeared, as well as her right arm. As he pulled on the sword, Adam swiftly slashed through her, though strangely enough, it didn't pierce her. Though, that didn't mean he never pierced something through. Yang turned behind her to see a portal with a dark new breed of Grimm appearing before her as it snarled before roaring at her face, it's mouth glowing with fire._

With a start, Yang woke up before she turned to her replacement arm. Even after all her trauma... no. _Because_ of her trauma, she still refused to put it on. She always saw it as a weight dragging her down ever since it came to her. Before she could have another thought, she heard laughter down the stairs before Yang walked down and heard Port speaking.

"And-and- and then in comes Qrow, wearing a skirt! I was just a T.A. I... I didn't know what to do, so I just left the room to laugh!"

Another round of laughter started before Taiyang spoke next.

"Yeah, we told him it was a kilt, he'd never worn a uniform before so he didn't know."

Oobleck, funny as it was, poked fun at him.

"That is terrible! What is wrong with you?!"

"Hey! The girls all said he had nice legs! I did that jerk a favor! Besides, that's not even the best part! See, then we—"

Then, Port interrupted by planting his foot on the table.

"Like what you see?"

Then, they heard another burst of laughter before Port fell, causing the laugh to grow even louder before Yang joined in with a light giggle, catching the latter's notice.

"Oh, um, Miss Xiao Long! Please, join us."

As Yang walked in, Oobleck made an offer to be as gentlemanly as he can, being aware of her current... situation.

"Yes, yes, pull up a chair. Please, pull up a chair."

"I'm good."

Yang sat up on the counter before she turned to him.

"Despite popular belief, teachers do have a life outside the classroom."

"Professor Goodwitch is working around the clock to restore Beacon to its former glory. But Mistral isn't built in a day, and we need some rest from time to time."

Taiyang laughed at this a bit before speaking.

"Look, let's not worry about that right now. So, there we were, standing in the auditorium, looking at Qrow wearing a skirt! Then Oz tells everyone: 'It's time to work on our landing strategy!'"

The group, excluding Yang, laughed a bit before Oobleck and Port spoke up.

"The Branwen twins have always been... interesting, to say the least."

"That sure didn't stop young Tai..."

"Hey, come on, man. She's right here."

"Oh, please! She's a mature young woman. If she can handle combat, she can handle a few jabs at her old man."

"That's not the issue, Pete. And besides, she's still a teenager."

Yang didn't like being babied by her father, let alone by the teachers in the room with him, so she took the opportunity to speak for herself.

"'She' is also in the room and can be directly spoken to. And 'I' think I've been through enough to be considered an adult at this point."

That much was true. Since Summer was gone, Yang had to take care of Ruby as a bigger sister. And even with Taiyang acting as a father, Yang was still the one left to pick up the pieces. Alone... Taiyang sighed in towards her daughter's opinion disagreement.

"Adult or not, you still got a long way to go before you're ready for the real world."

"Oh my gosh! Does every father figure just have the same three condescending phrases?"

"Yeah, but we only use them when we mean it!"

"Is that so?"

"As a matter of fact, it is so! If you honestly think that you're ready to go out there on your own... well, guess you lost some brain cells along with that arm."

That stunned Yang for her father to say that as Oobleck dropped the cup into the table. However, the reaction wasn't quite what they expected as Yang smiled a bit before lightly jabbing him.

"You jerk!"

Then, she laughed with her father before Oobleck spoke up.

"Are we finally talking about the Goliath in the room?"

That made them pause for a moment before laughing even harder. After the laughter died down a bit, Port spoke to Yang.

"Miss Xiao Lo— Yang. If you don't mind me asking, why haven't you tried on the arm yet?"

"Oh, yes, yes! A piece of Atlas technology being given out like that is rare indeed, not to mention the effort it took to deliver it here. It seems a great many people want you to return to normal."

Yang took a moment to collect herself before she opened up to them.

"I'm... scared. Everyone keeps talking about me getting back to normal and I appreciate it. But..."

Yang then motioned to her stump in reference.

"_This... _is normal now. It's just... taking me a while to get used to it."

Her father decided to give her a piece of advice about her take on normal.

"Well... Normal is what you make of it."

"What is that supposed to mean? Do you want me to just pretend like nothing happened? I lost a part of me. A piece of me is gone and it's never coming back."

"You're right. It's not coming back. But that doesn't have to stop you from becoming who you want to be. You're Yang Xiao Long, my sunny little dragon. You can do whatever you put your mind to. So, whenever you're ready to stop moping, and get back out there, I'll be there for you."

Yang still wasn't quite sure about whether she wanted to or not, considering Adam Taurus is still out there. On another note, Ruby is with the rest of Team JNPR (minus Pyrrha, the Fall Maiden), and evening if she could go find her, Ruby hated her guts. At least, that's how she acted the last time she saw her. If she couldn't change her mind then, what could possibly change her back to the sister she loved now?

"I..."

Port decided to join in to help her at this point.

"Fear is like any other emotion, it comes and goes. It's all in how you handle it. Why, even I find myself wrestling with that emotion from time to time."

Yang found it hard to believe, considering he was laughing a lot earlier.

"Really? You?"

Then, Oobleck explained to Yang what he meant.

"He's afraid of mice."

"They bring only disease and famine!"

Then, Yang began laughing as Port ranted about them.

"And don't even get me started on their tails! So hairless, simply unnatural."

Oobleck had to reassure Port as Yang giggled.

"Port, I assure you, you're safe. There's no mice here right now."

* * *

Later, Yang walked back up the stairs before waving to them.

"Goodnight."

As she walked to her room, she looked back to her arm before hearing laughter outside of the house before Port thanked Taiyang.

"Thanks for having us over, Tai."

"Anytime. You're always welcome."

Then, Oobleck spoke to him next.

"It may be a while before we return. There is still much work to be done at the school."

Then, Port spoke of another issue.

"I... hesitate to ask, but... is there any word from Young Miss Rose?"

Taiyang responded solemnly.

"Not yet."

"Have you thought about going after her? Trying to bring her home?"

Taiyang clenched his hand from the question. He, out of all people, knew how Ruby was desperate for revenge on Cinder since that day. He wanted to go and find her each day, but with Yang down in the dumps, he couldn't just leave her. Taiyang broke the silence with a deep sigh.

"I've got to... look after some things."

That made Yang remember their argument. The last time she ever saw Ruby. Their words exchanged to each other was just as heartbreaking as when Blake left her.

"_You can do whatever you want. I'm gonna lie here. Just leave me alone."_

"_You know what...? Fine! You want me to leave you alone so bad?! Then BE ALONE!"_

Having that be the last thing Ruby said to her made it all worse. Never did she imagine her own little sister would hurt her like that. But she wouldn't blame her one bit. Ruby had her whole world crumble around her, but instead of being her big sister like always, she told her to leave. No matter how misguided Ruby was in her new quest for revenge, Yang should've been there for her to keep her safe. If only she could've said yes...

"Oh, Ruby..."

Yang spoke the truth when she lost a part of her, but it was never about her arm. It was always her little sister. She drove her away, and now, she feared that she'd never come back, any more than her arm would. Yang looked back to her arm before remembering what her father said next.

"_Whenever you're ready to stop moping, and get back out there, I'll be there for you."_

Yang looked at her stump next before looking to the arm. Her arm may not be around anymore, but Ruby is. It wouldn't matter if she doesn't come back. It shouldn't! Because Yang would run to her when she needed help. And whether she would admit it or not, Ruby definitely needed help.

"I'll find you, Ruby. I promise."

* * *

Meanwhile, Team RNJR was walking to the next village as Jaune held the map. Usually, it'd be Ruby, but her mind was otherwise engaged. Even after the last town they went to, Ruby was still haunted by this "Baron" character who was after her. What kind of Grimm could pass for human? Apparently, Baron did. How could that even be possible?

"Come on guys! If we pick up the pace, we can hit the next town before sunset."

Ruby grew a bit dismal given Shion's attack. Maybe it was the chaos, but Ruby had reason to doubt.

"Assuming it's still there."

"Of course it'll be there, Ruby. This one's supposed to be pretty big."

In curiosity, Ruby looked to the map, trying to pronounce the word.

"Hee... gan... bay... na..."

Ren knew what she was really trying to say.

"Higanbana. It's a well-protected village with a popular inn."

Nora felt it was good news given the weather.

"Which means... no more camping in the rain!"

Seeing Ruby give a small smile at the thought of it, because no one in their right mind ever thought camping in the rain was a good idea, Jaune felt her point was made.

"See? Everything's gonna be fine. You know, we've had a lot of ups and downs, but things could be a lot worse. Really thought we'd see more Grimm."

"As did I."

"I guess our luck is finally turning around. To Higanbana!"

"To Higanbana!"

Grateful as Ruby was for that, she couldn't help but feel that something was off. They should've seen more Grimm since Shion. Her nightmares included, she was practically drowning in negativity from what she saw! Yet, there weren't any to be seen. Something has to be wrong... Little did she know how right she was.

As the team walked, they remained unaware of the beowulf watching them before it leaped at them, only to be impaled by a sword, making the beast groan before it was plucked out, leaving the Grimm to fade into black mist. The culprit was none other than Qrow Branwen.

He'd made short work of the other Grimm before it. Then, he heard a crowing made at him, making him turn to see a raven with red eyes on a branch looking at him. Then, the Raven flew away as Qrow looked on with a glare.

"Hmph... 'luck.'"

Later that same day, Team RNJR went into an inn adjacent to a tavern, to which Ruby looked out the window. Something still didn't sit right with her. The Grimm should've come when she had doubt. So why didn't they? Jaune noticed Ruby staring out at the rain and wondered what it could be about. He walked over to her and tried to speak to her, hoping to stir her from her malaise.

"Uh, Ruby? What's that look about?"

"I don't know, Jaune. Something seems... off."

"Off? Like what?"

"You said something earlier. You thought we'd see more Grimm since Shion, but... we haven't."

Jaune then realized his previous words out loud and began to get as weary as she did.

"Yeah. That is pretty weird. Grimm are usually drawn to negativity, aren't they?"

"Mm-hmm. But this time, they didn't come. The only thing I can't understand... is why."

As Ruby said this, she noticed her Uncle Qrow just outside a tavern before Jaune got her attention.

"Ruby? What's up?"

"I just thought I saw someone... can you guys let me know what room I'll be in? I just gotta check on something real quick."

"Uh, okay."

Ruby walked out of the inn and sneaked by the tavern's walls to avoid being caught in the rain too much while peeking inward and saw her uncle at a table. Somehow she had a feeling that she'd find Qrow at some point. Maybe seeing a familiar face would do her some good, even if it was drinking liquor.

"Uncle Qrow?"

She continued to watch as he received a glass of a drink.

"Oh, I didn't—"

The waitress explained where it came from.

"From the woman upstairs. Red eyes. Said you wouldn't mind a bottom shelf."

The waitress and Qrow looked upwards before he thanked her.

"Thanks."

"But I went ahead and gave you top. Lucky you!"

As she walked away, Qrow turned back to the window and noticed that Team RNJR wasn't standing anymore before he spoke to himself in caution.

"Yeah."

Meanwhile, Ruby went inside the tavern, hoping she'd catch up with her uncle. But unfortunately, there were other patrons. One of them, a man with one dark brown eye as he had an eyepatch over his left eye, a black coat completely unzipped, and a dark grey shirt over it saw how young she was.

"Hey. A little young to be drinking, aren't ya?"

Ruby felt it to be a bit offending, although it was a fact to be seen in plain sight as she sighed. At the same time, she noticed that Qrow was walking up the stairs to meet the woman upstairs who gave him his drink. Ruby then turned to him in response with a glare.

"Who asked you?"

Ruby proceeded to walk up the stairs, though the man was indifferent as he went back to his drink.

"Alright. Whatever. Touchy..."

Although the man took a sip of his drink, his eyes couldn't help but find themselves locked on Ruby.

Sure enough, when Qrow got to the top, he saw Raven sitting on the table with her mask on it.

"Hello, brother."

"Raven."

Qrow began walking to Raven as Ruby got up to the stairs. When she did, Raven took notice of the little girl behind him at a fair distance. She didn't quite feel surprised by that, but Raven felt it should be addressed.

"You know, she's not exactly the best at being subtle."

This confused Qrow before he turned to see Ruby behind him. It came as a surprise to him that Ruby would find him so soon. Then again, it was only a matter of time. Even Ruby knew that she'd cross paths with him eventually, whether she wanted to or not.

"You know, I don't think they allow kids in here, young lady."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not a kid."

This made Raven raise her eyebrows. Somehow, Ruby's current attitude was more appealing to her. Would Qrow have anything to do with that? She gave her brother a confused look before he responded.

"Don't look at me. She just got that from your side of the family."

Raven then looked to Ruby, wondering what could've happened to her for her to be like this.

"I guess you learned how the real world worked."

Ruby tensed her hands, remembering how pitiful she felt, how weak Cinder made her.

"More or less..."

Qrow didn't see that as a good sign and wanted to avert any possible outbursts.

"Okay, we're getting off-topic here. Ruby, you're not even supposed to be here right now. Just wait outside."

"But Uncle Qrow—!"

Qrow only placed his hand on her shoulder, maintaining a serious tone in his voice.

"This ones between brother and sister right now. Just wait outside, and then I'll tell you all about it."

Ruby looked towards Raven who gave her a small grin. She didn't know why, but she didn't find her to be any good. Something felt rotten about her. And Ruby didn't like that one bit as she turned to Qrow.

"Okay, fine. But I'm holding you to that."

Ruby then walked down the stairs with a scowl on her face as Raven gave her opinion about her once she was out of earshot.

"Honestly, I'm surprised. I would've thought she'd turn out like Summer."

Qrow didn't take that very well as he turned back to her with a glare.

"So, what do you want?"

"A girl can't just catch up with her family?"

"She can, but you're not. How about we get on with it? Unless you plan on keeping these coming."

Then, Raven asked him a different question in response following a moment's stillness.

"Does she have it?"

Qrow hardly saw that as important compared to everything Ruby and her friends went through.

"Did you know Ruby mutilated someone, and that Yang lost her arm?"

Raven felt offended before she spoke.

"That's not—"

"Rhetorical question. I know you know. It's just obnoxious that you bring up family then carry on like your own daughter and half-daughter don't exist."

"I saved Yang."

"Once. Because that was your rule, right? Real 'Mom of the Year' material, sis."

Raven took her brother's arm in angry panic, haunted by the image of Summer on Baron's sword and the sinister grin he gave her.

"I told you Beacon would fall, and it did. I told you Ozpin would fail, and he has. Now you tell me. Does... Salem... have it?"

"I thought you weren't interested in all of that."

"I just want to know what we are up against."

"And which 'we' are you referring to?"

Then, Raven let go of his arm in anger before she sat back down. Qrow used the opportunity to reach out to her. He knew how close Summer and Raven were in the days of Team STRQ, especially since Taiyang gave them both children. If he had his way, Raven would be dead and buried, but the only reason he's even trying at all was for Summer's sake.

"You should come back, Raven. The only way we beat her is by working together. All of us."

Raven only glared at Qrow back with a scowl as she retorted.

"You're the one who left. The tribe raised us, and you turned your back on them."

Qrow set the drink down in restrained anger.

"They were killers and thieves."

"They were a family."

"You have a very skewed perception of that word."

Raven stood up in anger before she spoke.

"I lead our people now. And as leader, I will do everything in my power to ensure our survival."

"I saw. The people of Shion saw, too."

That was a memory Raven did not like to remember. She could still hear his sinister laughter as Summer looked to her with a hurt look on her face in his blade. Raven shook her head to clear her mind of that wretched sound before he responded.

"The weak die, the strong live. Those are the rules."

Qrow then moved on to another matter.

"Well, you've certainly got someone strong on your side. I saw the damage. And I also know that someone equally strong is after Ruby, too."

Raven assumed he was talking about the Grimm Huntsman that she encountered before and turned away from her brother as she explained herself.

"We couldn't have known the Grimm set in as quick as they did. And this one, that Grimm with the sword... it looked just like _her_."

"I'm not talking about the Grimm, or Baron, by the way. And I'm not talking about you either."

Raven only turned to talk to Qrow, trying to get the answer to her previous question out of him.

"If you don't know where the Relic is, then we have nothing left to talk about."

Qrow only clutched his hand onto her mask, before he spoke of new information.

"I don't know where the Spring Maiden is, either. But if you do, I need you to tell me."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because without her, we're all going to die."

For a moment, Raven and Qrow embraces the silence that came before the former broke it.

"And which 'we' are you referring to?"

Raven began to walk away from Qrow as he glared at her with a growl before he ended up shouting at her.

"YOU OWE THIS TO SUMMER, YOU BITCH!"

Raven stopped in her tracks with a gasp. How did he know about what happened between her and Summer? And if he did know, why didn't he tell Taiyang about that?

"You always blamed me for turning my back on the tribe, but you never had any room to talk, not after you left her to die!"

A tear began to escape her right eye before she wiped it from her face. She can't let her brother see that she got to her.

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

"You should. You and Summer went up against Salem before. Guess who's the first to run away?"

Raven only clenched her hands before she tried to explain herself, her voice threatening to break.

"It wasn't like that...!"

"Then tell me, Raven. What was it like?"

Raven could not answer Qrow. Her hands only trembled in sadness that is quickly being exposed.

"You... you wouldn't understand."

"Then we don't have anything to talk about. Just get out of here and run away! It's all you're ever good for anyway!"

In compliance with Qrow's harsh request, Raven took her mask back before opening a portal and walking into it. Shortly after, the group heard the waitress gasp in surprise before Qrow turned to her and made a deep sigh before holding he glass to her.

"Make this one a double."

* * *

Later, Qrow exited the tavern, only to find that Ruby wasn't waiting by the tavern. She must've gone inside to keep from being rained on. It probably would've been for the best. Just then, Ruby's voice spoke out from behind him, catching him by surprise.

"I'm over here."

Qrow turned around behind him to see Ruby by the doors he just walked through. She didn't look very happy to have been waiting for this long. Not that he'd blame her, what with his drinking habits and all. She must be wondering what he and Raven were talking about. He did owe her the explanation.

"So... I guess you're wondering all that was about?"

"I heard you say my mother's name. That Raven owed it to her, whatever she needed to do."

Qrow began to get embarrassed. If she heard that, she was bound to have heard the curse word he wasn't normally allowed to use around her or Yang.

"Oh, boy. You must've heard me use one of the forbidden words, then."

Other days, Ruby would've told him off for using foul language, but not this time. For her, it was just the proper word to describe her so-called Aunt Raven.

"You don't have to apologize. Raven deserved it."

Qrow turned to Ruby and saw that she was getting upset. Of course she had a right to be; this was Summer Rose they were talking about. But how could she be? She wasn't supposed to know already. Unless...

"You've been overhearing our little discussion, haven't you?"

"Yeah. And I wish I never did..."

Ruby was now on the verge of shedding tears. She never got to know her mother, but she didn't know why. This time, she knew. And it was all Raven's fault... And she thought nothing would top the Fall of Beacon, but here she is. Before he could try to make her feel better, Ruby only turned away.

"Ruby..."

"Don't. Not right now."

Qrow pulled his hand back as he took a sigh. He's not sure how Ruby would be able to process this information about her mother. She's been through enough already with Cinder involved. Maybe it'd be better for her not to hear it yet after all.

"Right. I'm, uh... sorry you had to go through that, Ruby."

"It's okay. But... if you really felt sorry... you would come with us."

Qrow's heart began to sink almost immediately. She didn't know it, but there was something about him that would put their lives in more danger than they have been on their own. Him keeping his distance like he'd been doing before was the whole reason they made it through despite the negativity spawned from Shion's massacre.

"Ruby... I want to, but... I can't."

"What do you mean you-?"

"I just _can't_!"

There was a small silence between the two of them. After a moment passes, Ruby's expression turned into a hint of anger.

"Fine. Be that way, then. Like I ever needed you."

Ruby made no hesitation to turn her back on Qrow, walking into the inn before slamming the door. In the meantime, Qrow began to take a deep sigh. Sometimes, even he wondered why he stuck around. Every step he took was but a legacy of his jinx. The Grimm fell prey to that jinx. The last thing he wanted was for Ruby to be a victim of it too. Maybe it was already too late...

"I'm sorry, kiddo."

* * *

Meanwhile, out at Taiyang's house, he was watering the plants when he heard the door open and saw Yang walking out with the new arm attached to her stump. Yang then turned to her father with a smile before he looked back to her, returning the gesture.

"Okay. Let's get started."

* * *

**A/N: Hello. :) Here's another chapter for you. Anyway, there is the introduction of another new OC by the name of Clark Moran, who alludes to James Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes and is portrayed by Robin Atkin Downes. For those of you still wondering how Pyrrha's doing, you'll see more of her soon, as well as Paragon. There may even be some lemon sequences on the horizon the next chapter. Until then, enjoy your day. :)**


	6. Hidden Meaning

**Chapter 5: **"Hidden Meaning"

Rachel was confused. She had been told that the timeline has changed. But how could it? It didn't seem too out of the ordinary for her. Then again, she hadn't gone out of the world to see for herself, so what would she know? Still, it may not have been noticed, either way. But apparently, Helper did notice, though she wondered how.

"You said the timeline has changed. What does that mean?"

"Exactly that. What's supposed to happen naturally has been deviated from its natural course."

"And... what exactly was supposed to happen?"

Helper tilted his head to the side in confusion for a moment. Then, it occurred to him.

"Oh. You don't get out much, do you?"

Rachel shook her head to answer him before she spoke solemnly.

"I'm not supposed to be in the outside world yet. Not until I'm ready. At least, that's what my mother told me."

Helper looked around left and right, acknowledging the glass windows behind him as the sun shone from them. Added to the lighting, he noticed the symbols hanging from the ceiling near the pillars by the side of the room.

"Anybody ever come visit?"

"No. Well, not before today, apparently."

Helper turned back to Rachel, beginning to feel bad for her. Nobody should have to be cooped up here forever.

"It must've been pretty boring here."

Rachel didn't personally feel that way. She had been working on her powers whenever she was alone. She didn't find that particularly tiresome, but she'll admit the progress is slow. Even in a castle as large as this, even that can't give her enough room to grow.

"Well, I was practicing my powers, but..."

"Oh, yeah. I saw that. Does your mom know about them?"

Rachel was about to answer quickly, but she held her tongue at bay. It had just came to her that she didn't tell her. She'd always told her that she can leave whenever she's ready. Maybe she imagined it meant whenever she mastered her powers. What else could that be, if not that?

"I wouldn't know. I haven't told her yet. And yet... I wonder if she did know the whole time."

"Oh. I see. Well, I can't help you there, but..."

_**Play Yoko Shimomura Music: "Song of the Stars"**_

Helper dug his hand into one of his grey coat's pockets before getting out a large blue and gold book. It appeared no bigger than the other books she held in store, but the surprising thing about this book was that it held the similar symbol of a diamond with two horns going upward on the side cover.

"Here, take it."

Rachel took the book from Helper's hand and became just as surprised when she saw a title she'd never read before.

"The Lost Fable? What's this?"

"I'll tell you what it isn't. It'll start that way, but trust me. It's not like one of your fairy tales where it has a happy ending. In fact, this story is still going on. And it's what created all the others that you no doubt recognize. And now, it's all yours."

Rachel had no words for his generosity. For a stranger, he appeared pretty friendly. She wouldn't have believed it from his appearance, but his actions sealed it for her.

"I... I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. All you have to do is read it from beginning to end. And then, you'll realize what I meant by what I said."

Rachel looked at the front cover and began to recall what she'd been told a minute ago.

"That the timeline has changed? But how can this book have an answer for...?"

When Rachel looked up, Helper was already gone. Almost as if he'd vanished to thin air. She looked left and right for any sign of him, but she couldn't find any.

"Helper? Where are you?"

No answer came from the mysterious figure. Could she have imagined it? It was possible. But then, how could she hold the book he gave her in her hands? She had no clue what was going on. Frankly, she was quickly getting tired of it. And apparently, this book was the only to make any sense of what she's been told.

She could tell her mother about it, but she can't exactly do so on the grounds that she wasn't allowed to leave. Besides, it might be a fascinating story to add to her collection, even with what Helper told her. The story does seem pretty long enough to keep her occupied at least for a week.

"Well... I guess I have one more story to read."

Rachel cautiously opened the book before she began reading the first verses aloud. As she did, though, Rachel began to see the similarities.

"Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower that sheltered a lonely girl named... Salem."

Rachel widened her eyes at the illustration. The woman named Salem looked so much like her! And the tower looked the same as well. It was littered with battle weapons just out at the front yard. How could this book have captured the likeness? Could the book have been telling the past? To know for sure, she continued reading aloud.

"Locked away by her cruel father, Salem was a girl who desired but one thing: freedom. She lived in a time when kings and their kingdoms were plentiful, when man and women were capable of greatness, and magic was a gift from the gods that... that all could wield?"

Rachel then looked to her hand before she summoned the four magical orbs around her again. Her eyes lit up in wonder. Could she and Salem have a connection somehow? Rachel was already eager to know more as she read on.

"And yet, there she sat within her tower..."

_**End Yoko Shimomura Music: "Song of the Stars"**_

* * *

Meanwhile, seagulls were calling, flying by as a ship moves over peaceful blue waters. Passengers were strolling across both the upper and mid decks as Blake rested her hands on the rail and stared out at the ocean. Her outfit now consisted of a long white tailcoat with dark violet inner lining and a sleeveless black crop top, as well as a belt attached from behind. Additionally, she wore a white belt over black fitted pants. Along with that, Blake has been left with an X-shaped scar just above her left hip, a memento from a time she'd rather forget.

She's had it ever since the Fall of Beacon. She was confronted by Adam. And she was losing. Yang took notice of that and tried to come to her rescue. However, in the end, Adam was the victor, robbing her of her arm. Since then, her guilt got the best of her and she was forced to run away with it for the sake of her friends.

After a moment, Blake blinked and looked over her right shoulder, somewhat startled. Two kids were laughing over a joke. With her covered ears, Blake heard everything word they were saying, and it wasn't anything bad about her or the Faunus. She almost smiled towards their innocence and turned to look back at the ocean. She continued to look to the horizon before a voice spoke to her.

"Traveling alone?"

In reaction, Blake jumped and gripped the hilt of her weapon, Gambol Shroud. She halted her action when she saw the captain of the boat. He wasn't anyone particularly dangerous at first glance, but she couldn't be certain, so she held it where she halted it. The captain only held up his hands to reassure her.

"Now, now, no threat here. Just here to chat."

Blake hesitated before she let herself relax her posture with a roll of her eyes.

"And why is that?"

The Captain lowered his arms and then twisted to lean idly onto the rail as he explained.

"Well, not many people travel by boat on their own. It can be quite a lonely voyage. But I found those that do tend to have the more... interesting stories."

Blake closed her right hand a bit and turned away from the Captain. She wasn't going away to talk to anyone else, or at least didn't set out to.

"Maybe it's just... better for some people to be alone."

Her point was quickly made as the two kids from earlier ran behind Blake laughing. Caught by surprise, she gasped again, not expecting the noise behind her. She turned and blinked at them, trying to reset her calm. But the captain's laugh didn't make it any easier.

"Maybe, but with your paranoia, I think a few friendly faces wouldn't hurt."

Blake quickly took offense to that, making the captain laugh again.

"Who says I'm paranoid?!"

"No one, dear, no one. I'll leave you be."

The Captain turned and walked away before he stopped, offering one more piece of advice.

"But uh, fair warning: these trips can be awfully boring."

The Captain continued on his way and Blake stared after him. Once he's gone, she turned and looked at the ground for a few seconds before reaching up and undoing her bow and holding it out over the railing. Where she's going, there won't be as much hatred for the Faunus. As a matter of fact, they're practically neighbors.

"Mmm. Won't be needing this."

Blake let her bow go into the wind and watched it swirl in the air once before landing on the water. After which, she turned and walked away. As she passed inside, however, a hooded figure is shown to be watching her from a distance. At the same time, the ribbon on the ocean is obscured by large scales of a sea creature just above the surface. After they passed, the ribbon was gone.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Higanbana, Team RNJR set outside of the inn, ready to start another day on their journey to Haven Academy. Nora was no doubt thrilled after being able to rest her laurels.

"Whew! Nothing like a good rest on a soft, warm bed to cheer me up!"

Ren smiled to her as he spoke plainly before Jaune interjected.

"I think it did wonders for the rest of us, too. We should be much more efficient now."

"Yeah. I feel up for it. More so than I've ever been. How about you, Ruby?"

Jaune looked behind him, but in doing so, he noticed that unlike the others, Ruby wasn't as happy. It appeared as though that something was bugging her. He wanted to know what was going on.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

Ruby wasn't listening to him, still thinking about how Qrow wasn't willing to come along himself. It made no sense to her. Was he just babysitting them the whole time?

"Ruby."

When Jaune repeated himself, Ruby lost her train of thought and looked up to Jaune.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Just fine."

Ren and Nora looked at her as she walked past them and went on ahead.

"Just peachy."

Jaune knew better, however, than to believe that. He knew this was hard especially for her as he tried to put his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Ruby swatted it away swiftly in response to that.

"I said I'm fine! I'm just... I'm not in the mood right now."

Ruby then proceeded to walk forward, only to bump into someone on front of her. Evidently, it also took Jaune, Nora, and Ren by surprise. Ruby was quick to get angry as she stared up at his face. It was the same man that she met at the tavern for a moment.

"Hey! I was walking here!"

The man only gave her a smile as he spoke sarcastically.

"Oopsy-daisy. Did I get on your bad side already?"

Ruby was in too foul a mood to ignore him. She had to be direct.

"Can you just leave?!"

The man feigned being hurt from her anger as he spoke nonchalantly.

"Now, do you think that's polite, shutting me down like that?"

Ruby was getting more agitated than ever as she retorted.

"Just get out of the way! I'm in a very bad mood today!"

Her teammates saw her anger boiling. This never happened to the old Ruby. Cinder must've gotten to her again. Jaune tried to get her to settle down before things got worse.

"Ruby, it was an accident. Just calm down—"

"I am being calm!"

Ruby's outburst made Jaune back away in surprise before the stranger that stopped Ruby interjected.

"As if. You can talk all you want, but it won't change a thing."

Ruby got very angry very quickly, turning her head to him as she got out her Crescent Rose.

"Then I'll just make you move!"

Ruby ran right at him with a yell as Jaune shouted.

"Ruby! Don't!"

His pleas were in vain. Ruby was already in the air getting ready to slice the stranger in half. However, before she could, just as the scythe was about to hit his head, he vanished, letting the scythe bypass him and hit the ground with a crack. Ruby was panting her breath, trying to comprehend what had happened. Suddenly, the stranger's voice rang out from behind her.

"See, _that _would work— _if _I were just any old dude."

The stranger took the opportunity to push his foot on Ruby's back, knocking her to the ground as she exclaimed in surprise before she got up on her back as the stranger glared at her teammates.

"'Cept I'm not. I'm with the Crucible. Nothing 'any old' about me."

Jaune grew confused about the name choice. But he had an idea what it was about.

"Yeah? What's that? Some kind of gangster group?"

The stranger only snickered at him before he replied with a question.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Ruby got back up on her feet, picked up her scythe and tried to swing at him again, only for him to vanish before reappearing behind her as he spoke.

"So then, does being a Huntress come with an extremely good insurance policy?"

Ruby glared at him even worse as she retorted.

"Just say what you mean!"

"Oh, but I did, though. No good will ever come from putting other people first."

_**Play Grimm Eclipse Music: "Ambient Mysterious 3"**_

Nora and Jaune knew differently as the former smirked.

"Yeah, you'd be in for a shock, pal."

"Right. Just ask Pyrrha. She still has her life to live because Ruby was willing to risk her own."

The stranger only raised an eyebrow as he contradicted Jaune.

"Because she had a temper tantrum, you mean. Brutality like that doesn't fly for your average joe."

Hearing this, Ruby became bitter. He was referring to her as a child. She was anything but that, she believed. The Fall of Beacon molded her out of it. Although, he said brutality over horseplay. What could he mean by that? Before she could reflect any more, Nora spoke out to him prior to Ren.

"What do _you _know?! You weren't there!"

"And if you were, you'd admire Ruby's courage."

The stranger was still undeterred as he continued to undermine the value of compassion.

"I don't admire one girl leaping into danger if it means someone else will have to go save her. You're just lining up to lose out, dooming others to take the fall with ya."

Ruby saw an opportunity to make smack talk back at him and took it.

"Pretty big talk from someone who drinks his butt off in a bar!"

Nora was once again surprised by Ruby's words. She didn't know whether to be scared or be her hype gal. She had to admit it was a pretty good burn. The stranger, however, wasn't amused.

"Oh, dear. I think you've got the wrong impression."

"So what if I did? You gonna cry about it?"

"As if. Do I really need to remind you how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is? Or was the Fall of Beacon not enough for you?"

Ruby made a loud gasp from hearing this. It made her recall the unspeakable things that happened there. Especially those involving Cinder. She insulted her and stripped her of her innocence. She could practically hear Cinder's mocking laughter. It was maddening. Ruby quickly used her semblance to fly to the stranger before pinning him to the ground with her arms as she cane to suspect something of him.

"You know where Cinder is, don't you?! Tell me where she is right now!"

Despite her threatening tone, the stranger merely laughed at this before he spoke again.

"That's RIGHT! That's why you're so familiar! Your momma used to give me the same exact look!"

Hearing about her mother, Ruby was caught off guard. She didn't expect anyone else to know about her.

"My... mother?"

Jaune went up to her and forced Ruby away from the stranger.

"Don't listen to him, Ruby."

"But Jaune—!"

"He's just been saying all that random stuff to you just to psyche you out."

The stranger only stood up with a grin on his face as he spoke softly.

"Gee... I just don't know."

Ruby and Jaune only glared at the stranger before he spoke again.

"Oh, and you can spare me the usual party line. Yeah, Huntsmen and Huntresses are pretty capable heroes when things go bad. But if too many bad things happen all at once, some of those heroes might end up breaking. Still, Ruby, that doesn't mean _you _should change. Accept the role you're given. Be the Huntress the world needs you to be."

Any other day, and from any other person, Ruby would usually oblige it. But not today or from that stranger.

"Why would I ever take advice from a drunk?"

"As if. You have no choice but to follow this sweet little trail of cookie crumbs."

That set Ruby off as she flailed her arms in the air with Jaune holding her back before the stranger continued.

"You leave cookies out of this!"

"Ruby, calm down!"

"And in the end, you'll finally realize what fate has in store for you. In fact, your reward might be around the corner."

The stranger turned away from Team RNJR as he made a wave behind him.

"Ciao."

The stranger then headed to the forest behind him as the team looked on with confusion settling into their minds. Nora was especially the most confused about his presence.

"Okay, what was all that about?"

Ren looked to Ruby, feeling there was a bit of truth in his words, however cryptic they were.

"He said his group was the Crucible... whoever they are, I think we should keep an eye out for them."

Ruby only glared at the man as he walked away as she replied.

"Noted. Let's just go."

_**End Grimm Eclipse Music: "Ambient Mysterious 3"**_

Ruby began to walk away before Jaune tried to convince her otherwise.

"But don't you think we should find out what those guys are? He was talking about your mom—"

"I said I don't care!"

Jaune staggered back a moment. He tried his best to put up with it, but he's starting to lose his patience with her.

"So you're saying you don't even care about your mother? Is that it?"

His stern tone got Ruby hurt for a moment. She shook her head as she explained herself.

"No, Jaune. I'm sorry. It's just— I just mean that I don't care about _him_. Or the Crucible. I just want to find Cinder and get this over with already."

Ruby then proceeded to walk towards the opposite direction the stranger walked to. Although, contrary to what she said, she did care. Ruby recalled what the stranger said. It was almost as mocking as Cinder's own voice.

_Your momma used to give me the same exact look!_

She could only speak softly, wondering if her mother ever went through the same hardships she had.

"I wish you were here, Mom..."

Unbeknownst to her, a crow was watching from far away. It saw Ruby shed a tear for her mother as she continued on. The crow then looked back to where the stranger was before flying off to follow the stranger.

On Blake's end, it is dusk, and the boat is continuing its journey on the smooth ocean water. There was still a peaceful bird cry out on the horizon, and Blake was once again on the middle deck looking out at the ocean. A Faunus couple walked behind her and she watched them, slightly less twitchy than before. The captain was right. It did get boring. In fact, the silence actually made her miss her team even more.

She missed the days when her team would talk to her, or at very least talk while she was around. They each genuinely cared for her. Even Weiss cared about her as much as she didn't like the White Fang. But now, she can't afford to see them again; she believed herself too cursed to go anywhere near them after the Fall. Blake sighed to herself before she took her leave from the railing. However, it's when she's about to leave that she sensed she is being watched by someone on the upper deck. It was the same hooded figure that noticed her before. Following on instinct, she immediately took out Gambol Shroud.

"Who's there?!"

Suspecting he was called out, the hooded figure turned and ran for it, with the blonde hair somewhat visible beneath the hood. Blake stared up at the deck, no longer watching the ocean. She wondered who was watching her. Unfortunately, she didn't notice the dorsal fins of a giant sea creature momentarily surface. However, she was able to hear the waves headed towards the boat. They were bigger than they were supposed to be.

Blake braced herself as the boat rocked on the wake the fins created and let out a grunt as she tried to keep her balance. It wasn't long before the sea creature's long-necked shadow loomed over Blake as she turned around to face the water. Its shadow also fell on a member of the crew on duty in the crow's nest of the ship, who looked up at it in horror.

"RED ALERT!"

The alert immediately sounded. Two red lights next to a speaker pulse with the sound. The Captain and his First Mate came running out and looked at the water from the upper deck, just above Blake. The Captain murmured as the shadow fell over him.

"By the gods..."

The long-necked creature was revealed to be a large Sea Feilong, the fearsome Grimm of the sea. It had a pattern of glowing red lines along the scales of its neck, and its eyes glowed yellow. The Grimm swung its head back and forth, roaring and spreading its short forearms outward. The Captain was forced to call out to the ship's members.

"All hands to battle stations!"

The First Mate was concerned about the likelihood of surviving a conflict against the beast.

"Sir, we've never fought a Grimm this big!"

"We've never seen something this big! But we'll give 'er a fight nonetheless!"

While the staff got ready to fight, Blake sprung into action, running off the boat and into the air. She created one of her clones to give her added upward momentum, flinging her Gambol Shroud forward in its kusarigama form. Attached to the ribbon on her wrist, it embedded itself into the Grimm's neck. Then, Blake swung above the Grimm and shot it in the back of its neck. It roared in retaliation and slithered towards the ship as Blake landed on the crow's nest while the Captain steered from the bridge while Blake kept herself stable as well.

The captain kept the ship stabilized in the Grimm's wake and stepped outside to get another look at it. Blake got up to the top of the ship and shot it while the Grimm arced back into the water. While it retreated, however, the side of the ship opened up and the cannons came out.

Hoping to buy them more time, Blake continued her assault on the sea creature, dashing from the ship before slashing it with her weapon before using it to pull herself closer when she got farther away. Suddenly, the ship's cannons opened fire, but are mostly ineffective in hitting it. However, its explosions were effective in sending Blake back to the ship. As the Grimm was halted, she fell back onto the ship's deck, and landed on her back with a few bounces, before quickly getting herself back onto her feet. In the process, she discovered that her left shoulder is hurt when she moved to stand. As the Captain steered again, he called out to his crew.

"Hold steady men, it's not done with us yet! GET THE HEAVY CANNON LOADED!"

With that order, the First Mate changed from being nervous to battle-ready. In preparation, the largest cannon on the ship rose up through a trapdoor on the deck, extended itself, and aimed at the Grimm. But the Grimm was prepared, too. Its dorsal fin split apart and extra bones unfolded, revealing two wings. The Sea Feilong let out a deafening roar as it flew to the air, its beating wings sending a gush of air at the ship. Blake cried out as she hung on with her hurt left arm while the Captain gave another order.

"Heavy cannon, OPEN FIRE!"

The heavy cannon shot out, but the Grimm easily evaded it. In retaliation, It opened its mouth, and an electric ball formed, preparing to be released.

Blake readied herself to launch up at it, but before she could, the hooded figure landed on her head and used her as a launch pad.

"Hey!"

The figure grunted and the cloak fell back, revealing none other than Sun Wukong. Midair, he activated his energy clones before they went up at the Grimm. Blake took notice of this and became appalled.

"Sun?!"

Sun and his clones landed on the Grimm's head. While the two clones pulled on the topmost tendrils of the head, Sun grabbed its upper lip, diverting its aim away from the ship.

"Not today, pal!"

When the Sea Feilong released its electric blast, it goes harmlessly into the air, rather than at the ship like it planned. However, that didn't mean Blake wasn't angry.

"What are you doing?!"

From atop the enraged Grimm's snout, Sun answered her while holding onto the two tendrils his now-disappeared clones had grabbed.

"Oh, uh, you know, just... hanging out!"

Sadly for him, the Grimm managed to get a small electrical charge around Sun, electrocuting him before he let go, shouting as he fell.

"Whoa-oa!"

Blake gasped and immediately sprung into action again. She jumped onto and off the railing, using Gambol Shroud's kusarigama form on the crow's nest to swing herself around and catch Sun midair. They landed on nearby rocks, with her holding him bridal style as Sun put his hand to his heart.

"My hero!"

Blake hardly called it a good time for it. If anything, she viewed it to be the worst time possible.

"You're not supposed to be here!"

"Yeah!? Well, it looks like you can use all the help you can get!"

Blake glared at him and then rolled her eyes as she dropped him to the floor.

"Ugh. Just shut up and fight!"

She ran toward the ship in the water, where the Grimm was firing electric blasts at it. In the meantime, Sun was on the ground, striking a pose on his side with his hand propping up his head.

"Yes, ma'am!"

On the ship, the Captain was steering while two of his crew are looking at displays. And the damage wasn't looking too good as one of the crew members reported it to the Captain.

"Starboard defenses are down, sir!"

"We still got the heavy cannon?"

"Aye, but it's moving too fast! We can't land a hit!"

"Argh. How about the engines?"

The First Mate analyzed it on a display and relayed the good news to him.

"Fully functional, Captain!"

"Well alright, then!"

Meanwhile, on the deck, Blake was preparing to counter a hit from the Grimm's electric blast, but Sun jumped in between with a laugh of triumph. He used his long staff to deflect it and landed on the heavy cannon, resting his staff on his shoulder with a crooked grin just as the Captain called out to him, making Sun and Blake turn to him.

"Huntsmen! If you can clip its wings and draw it out towards the bow, we could take it!"

Blake turned away from the Captain to look up at Sun. She wondered if he had a plan, and he did, but it wasn't one she wanted to hear.

"I mean, you're the one with the swords."

"Ugh."

Sun spun his weapon back into a holstered position and ran towards the Grimm.

"Now or never!"

To start, Sun jumped into the air and activated three clones before they boosted him high up with two of them going up. Blake jumped to the air next before the first clone sprang her upward to the second clone, which did the same. The third clone swung her up as Sun waited, laughing and opening up his arms, but then lost his smile in confusion.

"Huh?"

Blake, instead of heading toward him, directed herself above him and landed on his shoulders. They sink a few feet while he grunted before Blake leapt upward off of him. High above the Sea Feilong, she began her descent, avoiding the electric blasts it shot at her. When she came near its wing, she ran down on it, slicing through the thin membrane before she found herself tumbling in the air before readying herself to land. Down below, Sun smirked as he waited for her on the rock she's readying to land on and caught her. The impact caused the rock surface to crack around them with the dust going around the two while he's left holding her bridal style. Blake smiled at him until he opened his big mouth and ruined the moment.

"This is the part where you say it."

Blake only turned away in disgust.

"Ugh."

Suddenly, the rock they landed on started to crumble beneath them. The Grimm had begun to move around them, causing the precarious rocky area to collapse. Blake is on the move again, leaping on several pillars of rock as she left Sun behind.

"Okay, maybe later!"

Sun jumped off the collapsing rock next as . the Sea Feilong flew after them, knocking rocks down as it went. The Captain watched from the bridge through a spyglass before throwing a handle and increasing the boat's speed. It sailed beside the destructive Grimm, keeping apace with it as Sun continued to hop around, avoiding the Grimm's attacks until one more move put him directly in front of its open mouth. Fortunately for him, Blake swung in on her ribbon and got him out of reach. Equally unfortunately, the Grimm prepared a blast to get them both in one shot, making Blake and Sun worried before it was suddenly impaled by the bowsprit of the boat, making it roar in pain as the heavy cannon aimed at the Grimm, waiting for the Captain's order.

"Fire!"

The heavy cannon fired and hit the Grimm dead on. Its upper half was quickly blasted to pieces, and it immediately turned into black dust that faded away. In celebration, the Captain, the First Mate, and another Crew Member all cheered. The cheer was upheld by the passengers on the ship who also joined in with applause. But not everyone was cheering on. A little girl with long light brown hair, brown eyes, a pink-red jacket, and dark red pants was watching as the black dust faded into the air, making her curious about it as she made a soft gasp. Meanwhile, on their rock, Sun celebrated while Blake smiled and lowered her head in relief before he lifted his hand for a high-five.

"Ha-ha! Up top!"

Blake only turned and glared at him while Sun wiggled his hand with a grin.

"Eh?"

With a cry, Blake swung her arm around to slap him in the face. He reared back in slow-motion before Blake subsequently delivered her signature slap.

* * *

Meanwhile, an arcing slash of fire moved across the wall, quickly followed by another. There was a brief moment before two more fiery arcs slashed again. An irregular circle of flame bursted forth afterwards, revealing the exhausted Cinder Fall. She was in a large, empty room. Behind her was a darkened arched hallway. On either side of the arch, the walls of the room had a low ledge that bore several burning white candles. As Dexus looked on, Four Beowulves approached Cinder, moving in a semicircle formation. Cinder swung her left arm at them, sending another slash of fire. It cut through the middle of all four of the beasts and they disintegrate away into black dust. Cinder panted again, still upright yet taking a breather, much to Dexus' displeasure as he raised his hand before setting it towards Cinder.

"That can't be your limit, Cinder. Keep going."

No thanks to Dexus, she didn't get long of a break like she hoped as heavy footsteps approached from her left. She gasped and looked in the direction they came from just in time to find a Beringel emerging beside Dexus. It leapt into the air, ready to deliver a blow to her with its fist. Cinder, however, pulled back her right arm and pushed a ball of flame right at it before the creature disintegrated. As its body disappeared, Cinder fell to her knees, breathing heavily. Dexus growled before he raised his hand only for Salem's voice to stop him.

"Enough."

_**Play Jeff Williams Music: "Are You With Me? (1:23)**_

To his surprise, Salem walked forward from the shadows near him while Cinder continued to struggle for normal breathing. Dexus tried to step in for her.

"My mistress. Cinder was about to make a breakthrough in her recovery."

"Really, Dexus? It doesn't appear that way to me."

Salem glared to Cinder before she scolded her.

"I thought you were the girl who wanted power. Did you lie to me?"

Cinder winced on the force of Salem's question. She didn't want to be thought of as someone who wanted to be weak, especially not after what Ruby made her go through. She could've been killed, too... It was obvious that she didn't want that humiliation. She turned to face Salem as she looked upward before she responded hoarsely.

"No..."

"Then stop holding back."

This order made Cinder gasp in surprise before Dexus reminded her of the parasite's flaw.

"But mistress. I'm not one to question your wisdom. But you heard what Merlot said. Those powers are what put a strain on Cinder's parasite and her body to begin with. Why encourage that? And why have me do it?"

"Because as I said before, it was her anger that was her undoing, not her powers. And you made her as strong as she is, even without the hatchling. I was certain that if anyone could help her master them, it'd be you. Are you telling me I've made a mistake?"

Salem leered at him with a glare, making Dexus retract his question as he cleared his throat.

"No. No, my mistress."

Salem looked back to Cinder before stepping forward to her as she spoke.

"If you are to master your new powers, you must exercise maximize your full potential out front. You can't very well do that if something is holding you back."

Dexus stepped up for her again as he went closer to Salem.

"But mistress, Cinder has been repressing her anger since we started her training. We still don't know what's limiting her abilities."

Salem only sighed before she spoke to Cinder as she held her hand out.

"Perhaps it's best to give her... a visual aid."

Not long after, Cinder, Dexus, and Salem were down below in the secret laboratory, overhearing a groaning shout as the bang of glass was heard far away. Cinder was getting anxious as Dexus tried to dissuade Salem.

"Mistress, are you sure it's wise to let her look upon the failure? What if it makes her progress worse?"

"She must understand what's at stake, Dexus."

After a chill in the air from her time passed over him, Dexus concurred with her once again.

"Yes. Of course."

In the laboratory, where the first Grimmite was created, Cinder looked ahead in shock and awe to see a being that is half-man, half-Grimm. His left side had a human complexion with a blue eye, raven hair, and his arm and leg. The other half, however, was pitch black with a Grimm mask covering that half of his face while his arm and leg on that dark side was sharp and more gruesome as its dark fist banged against the glass. The sight petrified her to see a man in such a half-formed state as Salem spoke chillingly, placing her hands on her shoulders.

"Don't get too nervous. He was like you, once. He had potential, too. But he failed to deliver. Because he failed to see his own flaws and lost his mind in the process. And if you don't find a way to identify your own, and soon, there won't be much of your mind left."

As the failure beat down on the door, Cinder felt more and more of the fear she never wanted to feel as it screamed.

"I'LL KILL YOU! YOU'LL DIE, YOU HEAR ME?!"

His savage nature sent a chill down Cinder's spine. She didn't know how or why, but he reminded her of when Ruby brutally attacked her and when she came especially close to ending her. She had to wonder if they were similar at all.

"What were his flaws...?"

Salem only looked down with a leer as she replied.

"That, you'll have to ask yourself. That is, if he still has his mind left to remember. And it may very well be... a long time."

Salem and Dexus then walked away, leaving Cinder to look upon the failure as he viciously attacked the glass with a heartrending cry of anger.

_**End Jeff Williams Music: "Are You With Me? (2:53)**_

* * *

Meanwhile, on the docks, it is nighttime on the middle deck of the ship. Blake was at the railing again, only this time facing sideways before looking to Sun as he talked to a Faunus couple, a male with horns and a female with rabbit ears.

"Seriously, it was no big deal! Just enjoy the rest of your trip and everything will be cool! We got this!"

The couple waved goodbye and turned away as Sun strutted over to Blake.

"You'd think they'd never seen a fight before."

It didn't take long for Blake to get to the point, but Sun didn't take that as seriously as he should, pointing to her ears.

"What are you doing here, Sun?"

"Diggin' the new outfit, by the way! Never did like the bow."

Blake slapped his hand away before she reprimanded him.

"Sun!"

"Geez!"

"Have you been following me?!"

Sun had an abashed look come over him before he explained himself.

"I saw you run off. The night Beacon Tower fell. Once we landed in Vale, you made sure everyone was okay. And then you just took off, without saying anything."

Blake turned back to the ocean with a dismal look before she spoke softly.

"I had to. You wouldn't understand."

"No, I get it! The moment you left, I knew exactly what you were doing!"

Blake smiled at him, pleased at feeling understood. But his thinking wasn't what she hoped it'd be.

"You're going on a one-woman rampage against the White Fang!"

It didn't take long for Blake's happy expression to fall.

"What?"

"You always felt like the Fang was your fight. They show up, trash your school, hurt your friends. It makes perfect sense!"

Blake grew annoyed at this as she put her hand on her head.

"I can't believe you."

Sun continued as he put his arm around her.

"But there's no way I'm letting you do this alone! It's an honorable approach, for sure, but you're going to need someone to watch your back. And that's where I come in! Us Faunus got to stick together, after all."

Blake only pushed him off before turning her back on him and walking away, knowing very well how far he is from the truth.

"You're wrong, Sun. You're so, so wrong."

"What are you..."

"I'm not going anywhere near the White Fang. Not yet."

"Seriously?"

"I need to sort some things out."

"Then why not do it with your team? Your friends?"

Blake quickly shut him down as she retorted.

"You're one to talk! Assuming Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet aren't hiding below deck!"

"You really think I could get Neptune on the ocean? They flew back to Mistral! I told them I'd catch up! It's not the first time I left them to take a boat!"

There was a brief moment of silence before Sun inquired something of her.

"So, if you're not going after the White Fang, where are you going?"

"Home, to Menagerie."

"Well, I'm coming with you. The Grimm are getting worse; you saw it yourself! And just because you're not going after the Fang doesn't mean they won't be coming for you! Besides, I'm... kind of already on the boat."

Blake laughed a bit softly before she spoke to him again.

"There's really no stopping you?"

"Nope! This is going to be great! Never been in Menagerie before! It'll be a regular journey to the east! Yeah, I like the sound of that."

Little did they know that far away, the same girl who watched the Grimm dissipate was eyeing them curiously before she went away from the corner with a small smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the forest, the stranger that taunted Team RNJR was sitting on a rock as he stretched himself, unaware that a crow was eyeing him before he spoke to himself.

"Heh. Got a lot of spunk for a little girl, I'll admit. But she didn't seem _that _dangerous."

_**Play Jeff Williams Music: "The Next Step Part 1"**_

Just then, he heard a clicking sound, making him turn to his right to see a Seer as Moran's voice echoed from it while his image appeared inside it.

"Picture this: a black goat stashed away a letter, then orders a white goat to search for it. What could his intentions possibly be?"

The stranger didn't look pleased as he spoke sarcastically.

"Great! A riddle! Just what I need."

Moran looked unimpressed as he continued on.

"There are many possibilities. Perhaps he's forgotten where it's hidden. Or... he's playing a prank. Or the letter has truly gone missing. I can think of several reasons offhand. But guessing is simply useless."

"Well, then just follow your orders. Plain and simple."

"Yes. That's what I've always done. I've followed the orders from above, without question. Always focusing my ability to act when told to do so."

Moran stopped a moment before placing his finger on his head when he spoke again.

"However, I sometimes can't help but read into my opponent's strategy."

"Heh. Too long on the job?"

Moran glared at him before he spoke again.

"If this child's identity is so unknown, why is it of such critical importance to the Crucible? Furthermore, was it Salem or Merlot who gave the order?"

The stranger made a face that showed he had no clear answer as he answered.

"Well... it's tricky."

Moran continued to speak to him, knowing for a certainty that something was up.

"All Salem cares about are the Relics hidden in each Huntsman Academy. It's unlikely she would hold such an interest in this mysterious child. Which means, the order was issued by... Merlot. Or the one who informed me of my task, you."

The stranger feigned surprise as he replied.

"As if! It musta been Merlot. You know how cozy he is with Project: Quasimodo these days."

Moran wasn't convinced as he replied.

"My inquiries suggested otherwise."

This made the stranger widen his eyes in shock before he realized something.

"Aw, man. You asked them?"

Moran began to interrogate him further as he spoke.

"What are your intentions? And why is it so important that you blatantly disregard her orders concerning Shade Academy's Relic?"

This made him at a loss for words momentarily as he replied.

"Oh. That. Right. Well, let's just say what I'm doing will benefit _us_ in the long run, but it's really of no importance right this second."

Moran narrowed his glance as he spoke.

"Playing your cards close as usual, I see."

The stranger continued to justify his decision as he spoke.

"Look, I don't know what the deal with the kid is, but it's been protected by Huntsmen since way-back-when. Aren't you curious? I heard it can possess ancient powers that can turn the tides. Magic! And it's no Maiden we're looking for, either."

"And where did you hear this?"

The stranger rubbed his chin as he spoke.

"Hmm... I don't remember. I keep my eyes and ears wide open, but I've traveled so many different places. It's hard to keep everything straight, you know?"

Moran glared harder at the stranger before the Seer's tentacles wrapped itself around his neck, making him choke as he spoke.

"If this child is truly as important in the long run as you say, why now? I believe you found out others also seek her. And you need to find her before anyone else does, in order to keep your connection to this child a secret from those around you."

The Seer leaned closer to the stranger before he spoke with a raised eyebrow and a glare.

"Bartek, who are you really?"

Bartek only glared back at him for a moment before the Seer released him while Moran made a smirk with a laugh.

"No matter. It doesn't make a difference to me. It's all the same. Though Salem wouldn't be so happy with you, I'm content to feign ignorance."

Moran's image went away just as the crow that watched flew away back to where Ruby and the others went as Bartek rubbed his neck.

"The question is who are _you_, Moran?"

_**End Jeff Williams Music: "The Next Step Part 1"**_

**A/N: And here's the next chapter for my rewrite. Sorry it took so long. And I'm also sorry that a lemon hasn't popped up here. But within the next few chapters, you can be sure it'll appear. The same can also be said for Skye and Ironwood. Naturally, the Ace Operatives would appear as well. Hope you can lok forward to the next chapter! :)**


	7. Orientation

**Chapter 6:** "Orientation"

In Atlas Academy, a young man with short silver hair, which spiked backwards, and heterochromia iridium, which meant his left eye was red and his right eye was blue, was walking in the hallway. His outfit was comprised of a black hooded jacket with silver sleeves that had a symbol of a tree in the fall on the top of each sleeve, and dark grey pants that held a scabbard with a sword inside it and a small compacted weapon with a handle around his pants' belt. He'd been followed by a young man with short disheveled brown hair, blue eyes, and a white shirt with a sleeveless blue jacket over it. And behind him was a young Faunus with antlers similar to that of a buck's, as well as a young woman with long auburn hair, a blue unzipped jacket that showed a black shirt with a grey symbol of a stag on it inside, and tan pants. The young man behind the leader spoke out to him first, seemingly more anxious than the others.

"Okay, Preston, tell me again why we're waltzing in the hallway? It feels like it's been at least a day."

Preston gave him a sigh before he reminded him.

"I told you before, Logan. We'll have to get out in the cold eventually. It helps keeps our body temperature warm in cold climates like Solitas."

The young woman had to concur with Logan, though. The reasoning appeared to be flawed.

"It still doesn't explain why we're just walking around when it's not even cold."

The young Faunus had an idea as he piped up.

"I don't know, Magenta. Maybe it's to help us build up our endurance."

Logan found it doubtful as he had a different outlook.

"Pfft. Yeah, right. He's probably just punishing us for questioning him. And I thought Winter was the uptight one."

Preston only glared back at him as he corrected him.

"Actually, Nickel was spot-on. And your complaining about it doesn't help matters. In fact, your big mouth just earned this team another four walks in this academy from top to bottom."

Magenta gave Logan a fierce glare, making him act defensive to deflect the blame generating from her. As for Nickel,

"Nice move, big lips."

"Don't look at me! He's the one being a tyrant!"

Preston only spoke coldly to Logan, clearly not in the mood to hear his blame.

"Keep that up, Logan, and I'll make it five walks for you."

This made Logan shut his lip quickly before Preston spoke onwards.

"Anyone else want to talk?"

Both Logan and Magenta held their tongues. They didn't want to risk getting on his bad side any more than they already have. Nickel, on the other hand, held his hand up, making the two members nervous before Preston looked to him.

"Yes, Nickel?"

Nickel was a bit hesitant to say it, especially with Magenta and Logan practically begging him not to. But he knew that he couldn't keep up for much longer. Something had to be said.

"Well, about that... don't you think it's best if we get some rest, too?"

Magenta and Logan winced and turned their faces away, preparing to receive the worst he had to offer. But instead of a reprimand, Preston raised an eyebrow as he inquired to him.

"And what makes you think that'll help?"

Magenta and Logan cautiously turned to the scene as Nickel continued.

"It's just that... the truth is, as much as I agree that being prepared should take priority, I also think it's equally important not to push ourselves too far. Or we'll be too strained to do anything."

Magenta and Logan put their hands down from their faces as they listened to him. Nickel was always the voice of reason in situations like this. And it usually ended with all three of him agreeing. However, it doesn't appear to be the case. Preston's mind was made up, even as his face was softened.

"Ordinarily, I'd agree with you. But that's a luxury we can't afford, Nickel. Not anymore. You all saw what happened at the Fall of Beacon. Those people at the Vytal Festival were helpless against the Grimm and those hacked drones because they never once thought anything bad would happen to them at anytime. You may not like it, but I'm not going to let any of you make that mistake, not on my watch."

Nickel's face frowned a bit as he spoke meekly before he tried to further reason with him.

"Right. I understand, but... with what we know, couldn't we at least set up a break schedule to nourish ourselves? I feel like it'll—"

Before he could finish, Preston interrupted him.

"We can't afford a break, Nickel! Too many people are counting on us to do that!"

As Nickel began to quiver in Preston's outburst, Magenta stood up for him, trying to help him out.

"Hey, leave my brother alone! He cares about those people just like you do, even if e isn't like us!"

Unfortunately, it didn't stop Preston from speaking rashly.

"Well, obviously, he doesn't seem to care enough! Every minute we take a break, more people are dying when they need us most!"

Logan stood up for Nickel next as he retorted.

"Quit talking like we're professional Huntsmen, Preston! Things are bad enough as they are! We haven't even gotten a mission in over a month, and just because of that, you think it's okay to torture us like this?! You're even torturing Nickel, and he's been by your side this whole time! That's not how being a leader works!"

"What do you know about being a leader?!"

Preston and Logan glared at each other for a time before a feminine voice called out to them.

"Is something wrong?"

Preston and Logan turned to see a young woman with long orange hair that curled inwards at the tips and a black fabric bow under a pink bow that had a golden outlined green orb. She was wearing an olive green German styled dress with a black hem that is striped with emerald green. The abdominal region was black with four golden buttons that had matching buckles on her shoulder straps She also wore an off white blouse with puffy shoulders, frilled flared cuffs, and vertical black lining down the front center. Preston only sighed before speaking dismissively to her.

"No, Penny. As far as they're concerned, nothing is wrong."

Preston began to walk away from his team as he spoke to Penny.

"Make sure they finish four more walks around the academy. I'm going to blow off some steam."

While Preston headed to the training room, Penny couldn't help but feel the moment to be tense.

"Well, this is awkward."

Logan only scoffed at this as he spoke.

"Some leader he turned out to be..."

All the same, Nickel had a look of sympathy towards him. It was only a short while before Magenta got her brother's attention.

"It's okay, Nickel. He'll be back to his old self soon, giving us orders like always."

Nickel couldn't shake off the worried look on his face, as much as he wanted to. The Fall of Beacon weighed heavily on how Atlas is being portrayed. The same went for Atlas Academy. Ironwood's dust embargo only made it worse. He had a feeling that he won't be back to his old self.

"I'm not so sure about that, Magenta..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ironwood was sitting in his main desk in a room that practically overlooked all of Atlas. No doubt a room for the Headmaster of Atlas Academy. And in front of him were two men. They were both dressed in Atlesian Specialist uniforms, with one of them wearing a sleeveless white coat with red and blue accents and a four-leaf clover pin, along with a rabbit's foot keychain hanging off it, white pants, and brown fingerless gloves with short brown hair and teal green eyes while his partner had raven, slicked-back hair, dark blue eyes, and the same outfit as the leader did, but with longer sleeves and had black gloves over his hands. The latter of the two was quick to object to Ironwood.

"What?! You wish to recruit that girl into the Ace Operatives?!"

Ironwood gave him a stern face as he replied back to him.

"Yes, Francis. I do. Is that a problem?"

Francis didn't hesitate to snap at him again. Other times, he knew better than to question his general. Until now, he'd always trusted his reasons. But today was a great exception for him. Bringing a child into the Ace Operatives was the worst thing he could do.

"Of course, I have a problem! The Ace Operatives are called just that for a reason. Or did you forget? We only accept the most elite of recruits to even dream of joining up! What could that child possibly hope to offer?!"

His partner placed his hand on his shoulder before speaking up to him, trying to assuage him.

"You didn't see her in action, Frank. She can handle worse."

Francis snarled as he slapped his hand away from his shoulder.

"First of all, don't call me that, Clover. It's Francis. And second of all, it doesn't matter what you think she can do. She's still a child."

Clover glared back at Francis as he retorted.

"Well, I've trained her myself. Or did you forget, Francis?"

Francis only gave him a leer as he growled before he spoke.

"So what if you have? Her luck is bound to run out sooner or later. And by extension, yours. You can't rely on it wholly when your life is on the line. You'd be wise to remember that."

Ironwood only cleared his throat to cease their banter before he continued.

"While you're advice is commendable, Francis, Clover's training isn't without merit. It should be safe to assume she can handle anything at this point."

Despite his reassurance, Francis didn't find himself able to completely shake off his doubts.

"I understand... but what about the other operatives? How will they feel about any of it?"

Clover gave him a smile as he enlightened him, not that Francis didn't persist in his objections.

"You don't have to worry about that. Elm was pretty excited when she saw her in action."

"Elm doesn't speak for the rest, and especially not for Harriet. The girl's too driven and self-centered to give her a second glance, not to mention impatient."

Ironwood narrowed his vision towards Francis. With all that talk, Harriet didn't appear to be the only one who's impatient.

"What point exactly are you trying to make, Francis?"

"It should be plain to see, Ironwood. You should give that spot to someone more suited for it. Like Preston Platinum. He's the one who worked hard to be counted as elite for well over a month now."

Ironwood only sighed at the mention of the name. He can't deny the progress he's made. But he wasn't blind to his flaws, either. As strong as he got on his own, he still needed to manage his skills as a leader. Recruiting him at this point would be premature. But Francis didn't seem to think of that. Or at very least, he didn't seem to care.

"I'm aware of that, and his progress is commendable."

"Then why not recruit him instead of that child?!"

Ironwood slammed his fist on the table, making Clover widen his eyes while Francis was once again upstaged by Ironwood's show of force. He gave his partner a look that told him to stop poking the bear as Ironwood answered.

"Preston still has a lot to learn. Especially when it comes to working as a team. Until he learns to be a team player and work with his own team, I can't recruit him in good conscience. Am I clear?"

Francis only glared at Ironwood before replying bitterly.

"Yes... General. I'll be sure to report this to the operatives tomorrow morning."

Francis walked away from the room bitterly as Clover and Ironwood looked on. When the doors opened and closed, Clover looked back to Ironwood as he took an exhausted sigh.

"Every day, it gets harder with him."

Clover went up to his commanding officer and tried to help him look on the bright side.

"He'll come around sooner or later. They all will. They just haven't seen what Skye can do yet."

Ironwood's sunken eyes didn't shift from their depressed look.

"I know. And that's partly what worries me."

In that moment, the doors went open again. But this time, it was Skye that came through it. She had a look of confusion and worry over her face. Perhaps the anxiety was getting to her. But what she had to ask was about something else.

"What happened? Did you two fight?"

Ironwood only shook his head as he tried to reassure her.

"No, Skye. We were just disagreeing. Francis thinks Preston should be the one to join the Ace Operatives."

The name confused Skye as she pondered it to him.

"Who's that?"

Ironwood let out a small sigh before he sat up.

"Alright. If you're going to be part of the Ace Operatives, you might as well get yourself introduced to the students in the academy. It'll make for a good once-over before we get you to meet the other operatives."

"Huh?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Preston was running in the training room, dashing on top of large stacks of cubes in a bright green obstacle course as a drone was firing at him. The young man was forced to use his sword to block it, picking it up from his scabbard with his left hand as it shifted from its compact state into an edged weapon with a silver glow. He deflected the blasts before lunging at the drone just as it shot at the pillar underneath him. In the air, the youth used the momentary boost of momentum to lurch himself towards the drone, which took quick aim to shoot at him, only for him to counter its blasts and strike it down before landing on the same platform it stood on. A few seconds after, the drone fell apart, allowing him to take a look around, only to get grazed by a blaster shot, causing his silver aura to light up a bit before fading away.

If it weren't for his aura shielding him, it would've left a mark. But this didn't deter him; in fact, it made him scowl towards the direction it came from. A drone had shot at him from afar. Preston narrowed his vision towards it before he spoke.

"So that's how you want to play it? Fine."

Preston put his sword back in his scabbard before getting out another weapon from his belt. It was small and compactly compressed, which made it easier on his agility and momentum. But as he pointed it at the drone, it sprung out into a black bow before his red eye fixed itself on his opponent, practically staring right at the drone, as if he was aiming on his eye alone. In a moment, his black bow generated a red-orange glow that shot out a concentrated blast of red light before the drone tried to counter it, only for the blast to be swallowed up before it hit the drone and exploded, causing the drone itself to be torn apart and set on fire as he sighed to himself, almost as if he's not impressed.

"I'll have to work on the collateral damage."

One setback aside, Preston took another look around for anything unexpected. And he was right to, because as he suspected, it was far from over. He was met with a series of drones on the ground and on top of the pillars ready to shoot him down. The young man only growled under his breath before he looked back to his bow and pressed a blue button near the compartment, which switched the bow's glow into a blue one. Then, he aimed it at the ground and fired it, making the ground slippery for the drones on the ground. However, the drones up top fired at him, forcing him to fire at the ground again, but this time, creating an icy barrier that held back their blasts. This bought him few precious moments of time to take a breath as he spoke to himself.

"Come on, think. How do I take out those snipers?"

Being cautious of their gunfire, the young man peered his head out of the corner of the barrier he'd made before covering his blue eye and his red eye glowed again. His line of vision from that eye went towards the wall in front of him before it bounced like a mirror and saw the drones firing on the ice barrier (which was no surprise to him at this point), along with the drones on the ground that are recovering from their slip on the icy ground. But his vision was meant to look for an opening, a place where he could ambush the drones without them noticing he was gone, at least until it's too late. For the answer, his red eye's vision bounced on several angles before his head started to hurt just as he'd found the answer. And his head wasn't the only thing hurting; his aura seemed to be getting weaker.

Preston noticed his aura flickering after opening his blue eye. He gave a scoff at himself as he spoke to himself.

"Looks like I'll have to make this one count."

It took a while for him to process what he had seen. But when he did, he looked by a corner of the glacier to see that his opening wasn't too far out of reach. At the same time, though, he'd have to risk the rest of his aura. From there, he'd have to chance it. Like he said, he'll have to make it count.

Preston ran out to the opening, but not before firing a blast at a chunk of the barrier behind him, causing the drones to react and fire from where the blast came from. With the drones distracted, the youth took out his black bow before his red eye glowed on one drone. With it in his sights, he pushed a yellow button that changed the glow on his bow to yellow before firing a yellow bolt that struck at the drones above, triggering a domino effect that shocked the snipers before they shut down quickly. However, by the same token, his aura was nearly depleted as well. A risky gambit, but it's paid off so far. With that, all Preston had to deal with are the drones on the bottom floor with him.

"Well, that works out."

He put aside his bow and held his sword out at the ready before lunging at the drones.

* * *

Little did he know that as the boy engaged them, Penny was finishing up on the tour with Logan, Nickel, and Magenta tired out from the walk as she spoke gleefully to them.

"And here are the dorms. As the most well-funded school on Remnant, every team in Atlas gets their own room. And if that wasn't enough, they get their own computer, too."

Logan, Nickel, and Magenta replied simultaneously, the the first of the three was more frustrated.

"We know."

"We've been to the dorms for a month now, Penny. You don't have to tell us every time you give a tour."

"But how else would I practice?"

"What do you even need to practice for?"

"Oh, just in case I get to give them to my—"

Before Penny could finish, she realized she threaded into a sensitive subject. Her face began to sadden as she frowned, making Magenta feel sorry for her. She knew what friends she was talking about. Sometime after the Fall of Beacon, Magenta was confiding in Penny with the amount of times Preston handed his team over to her. She knew how much she missed Team RWBY as she spoke to her in reassurance.

"It'll be fine, Penny. I'm sure your friends will be okay."

Penny looked towards Magenta with a sad smile as she spoke softly.

"While it's not a guarantee... I hope you're right."

After a moment of silence in which Magenta smiled and nodded back to Penny, Nickel piped up, trying to hold in his private area while doing a dance.

"Uh, any chance I can use the restroom?"

Penny looked over to Nickel in confusion as she spoke to him, his dancing becoming even worse.

"But you still have one more trip to go."

"I know, but... It's getting harder to hold it in."

This was a first for Logan and Magenta to see him use that excuse as the former spoke his doubts as Penny looked at him.

"Come on. There's no way you'll ever get out of that tour with—"

"You are free to go."

Just like that, Nickel took off in a dash as he shouted, his yelling getting farther away.

"Thank you so much, Penny!"

Logan hung his mouth open while Magenta looked on in surprise before Penny explained to him.

"What? His bladder was full."

"But we had to go to the bathroom, too!"

"Ah, but you didn't when you asked me the other times."

Logan groaned in defeat while Magenta became curious.

"Wait. How did you know his bladder was full...?"

Penny gave an innocent smile as she answered.

"He did the dance. Everyone does it when they have to go."

Logan and Magenta both grunted in shock as the former flipped his lid from the neglect of detail in his excuse.

"Are you kidding me?!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Nickel was in the hallway walking around as he looked left to right. His restroom wasn't the only priority. He needed to check on Preston himself. Whatever he's going through, he needed to get through to him.

"Alright. First, I'll find a restroom, and then I'll check on Preston."

Before he could carry out that plan, Nickel took notice of something strange. Far away, he saw Ironwood with a girl he's never met before. She looked a bit nervous. Could she be a latest recruit into Atlas Academy?

"Huh? Who's that girl? And why are they headed for the training room...?"

Little did the Faunus know that Ironwood was bringing Skye to the training room to get her acquainted with Preston Platinum, whoever he was. Although, she was curious about what that had to do with the location.

"How come we're going into the training room?"

"I said I'd get you introduced. And knowing how he is, I think it's almost time."

To prove his point, Ironwood gestured Skye to look at Preston's progress. He was engaging in close combat, using his sword to cut through one drone while dodging its blaster. Then, he set his sights on another before rushing at it and taking its arm before using it to shoot at the other drones that came near him. One by one, they fell until that drone was all that remained. To finish, he took away its weapon before hitting it in the head, knocking it down before he panted, practically sweating from the effort he had to put into it. Skye looked at the young man in awe as he wiped the sweat off of his face before Ironwood spoke out to him.

"You're not too bad, Preston. Especially on Level 8."

Preston didn't need to look behind him. He already knew who was talking to him. He'd been checking on him for over a month now. The visits were almost routine. The last thing he needed to hear, though, was a lecture.

"But let me guess: I still need to work on the collateral damage?"

Ironwood took notice of one of the drones still on fire from his bow, making him sigh while Skye admittedly became a bit nervous.

"Among other things. But I'd be more impressed if your team was watching you, assuming they're with Penny, again."

Preston didn't move from his spot. He still wasn't in the mood to go to them or for them to go to him.

"I can't deal with them again yet."

Taking the damage around the training room into account, Ironwood didn't find it hard to see why.

"I can see that. But as much as I should scold you for leaving your team out of it, there's something you should know, Preston. I feel like it's for you and your team's benefit, too."

Preston only took a sigh, too exhausted from his training to begin to refuse him even if he had wanted to before he replied.

"Alright. What is it?"

"It's about the Ace Operatives. They just got a new member. And I think you'd be interested in meeting her."

Preston's eyes widened. He felt it wasn't a good thing to hear that someone else was being recruited into the Ace Operatives. But hearing Ironwood's words, he could stomach it if it turned to be Winter. So far, she was the most elite outside of the Ace Operatives. Being his second-in-command, it would only make sense for him to add her to their ranks. After a moment, his eyes regained their composure before he spoke.

"Well, I think I've already met Winter before, General. You didn't have to bring her back from patrol just for that."

"I wasn't talking about Winter, Preston."

"What? Then who are you—?"

Preston turned around to see Skye in her blue cloak and was stunted to see her beside him.

"Wait. You're recruiting her?"

Skye wasn't too comfortable with his skepticism and backed away a few inches in nervousness as Ironwood spoke to him.

"Yes. I am."

"But... but she's just a girl."

"Trust me, Preston. She's more than just a girl. More so than you know."

Preston looked back to Skye. Her markings aside, he immediately had doubts about her as she cautiously looked at him. Preston looked back to Ironwood, trying his hardest not to question him.

"Maybe. But don't you think she's more cut out to be a standard Huntress? Like I am?"

Ironwood caught on to the bitter tone in his last question. It's no secret that he had some resentment for Ironwood since being turned down from the Ace Operatives. He tried as hard as he could since then, but in the process, he started to view his team more and more as stepping stones than partners. And he wanted to take a big leap from that very quickly. Perhaps too quickly.

"Preston, I know how much you wanted to join them, but you know I can't let you if you can't even figure out how to manage your team."

This made Preston lose it. He had been training all this time to be counted as an Ace Operative. The last thing he needed, he thought, was a team that won't even understand his goals, let alone what they're supposed to be.

"But that's exactly the problem! It's bad enough that they never took me seriously in the first place! But now, even after the Fall of Beacon, all they ever did was complain! And no matter how hard I get them to try to be their best, they're not even willing to make one bit of effort to change! How am I supposed to manage my team if they don't even care?!"

His voice echoed across the training room on those last few words. It didn't take long for Preston to realize that he'd just snapped at the headmaster of Atlas Academy. A look of instant regret came over him as Ironwood had a stern look on him. Preston held his head down as he tried to make up for what he'd said.

"General... I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say any of that."

"I'm not the one you should apologize to. You can't expect them to be just like you, Preston. That's not how leadership works."

Little did he know that as he spoke to Ironwood, Nickel was peering over the corner of the entrance to the training room as Ironwood spoke to him.

"So I've been told. But you wouldn't get it. The pressure was already on me when I tried to train this team, but the Fall of Beacon... it's got me on edge. All I'm trying to do is keep the team alive, and they won't even let me."

Ironwood continued to converse with Preston as Nickel took notice of the two of them along with Skye, which made him curious as he spoke.

"It's because you won't even trust what they have to say. I know you're worried about them, but an old friend told me once that it's not fear itself that determines what you are. It's what you do when you're afraid that shows who you are."

That opened Preston up to snap at him again. Somehow, hearing that lecture hurt him the most. While he shouted at Ironwood, Nickel looked on in surprise at the event.

"That's easy for you to say! You've never been afraid at all! You never constantly worried about the safety of your teammates! How could you possibly understand what I have to go through?! The burden I have to carry as being leader?! How... how can you even understand at all?"

Ironwood's stern look softened some. As unacceptable as his outburst was, he also knew what drove him to be an elite to begin with. And at times, it can be difficult to try to keep a team together. He only sighed before he spoke softly.

"Trust me. I know. I know how badly you want to make your mark. And I know how frustrating it is to be a leader to a team that doesn't seem like they're listening. And I especially know how it feels to be scared for the people that look up to you. But that's part of being a leader. To be able to work with them despite those hardships is what it takes to be a good leader."

"I know that. I just... I just wish they understood the stakes the way I do."

"Give them some time, Preston. I'm sure they will."

Preston looked behind Ironwood to see how Skye held up from his outburst. She was trying hard to stand firm, but her face couldn't hide the nervousness as Ironwood spoke again to him.

"That being said, I was hoping I could get the two of you introduced, but I can tell you're still trying to blow off some steam. If it's a bad time, we'll try again in the morning."

Preston gave himself a sigh of embarrassment. His wasn't a good first impression. He hoped he could start it all over again in the morning.

"Right. I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

Skye's face still held its nervousness, but she could tell that he was sorry. She tried to reply back openly, still recovering from the outburst he gave Ironwood.

"It's okay."

Preston still felt bad, nonetheless, for his rash action. Ironwood looked back to Preston before an idea came to his head. Preston did everything he could to improve himself when he couldn't improve his team. Fortunately, there's a good fix for that.

"And Preston. I think you should get the rest of the team introduced, too."

However, with the luck he's been having with his team, Preston didn't think it would work.

"How can I? They won't even listen to me. It's like they don't even care that I'm trying to keep them alive."

Unbeknownst to him, Nickel listened in on his doubts before taking his leave with a look of sympathy before Ironwood places his hand on Preston's shoulder.

"Then maybe apologize to them first. It'll be better for them to hear it. And if they still don't listen... then I'll bet they'll listen to me."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Salem's domain, Cinder continued to watch as the failure beat down on the glass. After almost a day of watching this, Cinder was still as terrified as when she first saw him. Yet, the longer she watched, the more sorry she felt for the creature. But it was more than that. In every sense, Cinder began to realize that the monster regarded as the failure was no different from Ruby. No. It was no different from herself.

The both of them are starved of vengeance on whoever wronged them. But unlike her, where she began to waver in using her full potential in fear of overexerting her parasite, his rage still burned. However pointless it was, he still kept trying to claw out of his cage to attack and maim whoever he was seeing as his enemy. According to Salem, he's lost his mind in the process, and perhaps she may be right. But she still had to wonder: how can he keep that up for so long? It was also worth asking for a different reason. How can he go that long without calming down enough to speak rationally? Not sure if he could respond properly beyond rage, Cinder began to speak to the failure almost sympathetically, beginning to see his allure. It was a struggle to do so out loud with what happened to her voice, but she kept it as soft and understandable for herself as she could.

"You're starved, aren't you? And not just of food, either. If I understand your rambling right, it sounds like you're focused on nothing more than killing whoever put you here."

The failure continued his aggravated attack, not listening to a word Cinder spake. Not that she expected him to listen. Cinder moved her left arm covered by a long sleeve as she continued on.

"Maybe it's aimless, or maybe it isn't. But either way..."

In that moment, her hand slipped out of the sleeve, revealing itself to be a black Grimm-like skeleton with claws as it rested itself on the glass.

"...we're the same."

The failure ceased his attacks as he made a light gasp. Looking down to the floor, Cinder was seemingly unaware of this change by sight, but she could tell that it stopped attacking by her ears. Despite it, she continued.

"You're not the only one starved of vengeance here. Since Beacon, I've... I've never felt so weak in my life. I was exactly who I used to be. A scared little girl. And rest assured, she will pay dearly for reminding me of that."

Cinder's claw began to scratch the glass with an unsettling screech. The noise didn't seem to bother the failure. He seemed to be too focused on Cinder to even be bothered by it.

"That's the reason I wanted power. To keep from being helpless ever again..."

Cinder began to take a shallow deep breath, personally ashamed of what she's reduced to as she shed a tear from her only eye.

"...yet here I am."

After a moment, however, Cinder regained her composure before she began to ponder to the failure, still uncertain of he could speak after all that thrashing.

"That makes me wonder. You must've wanted power, too, didn't you? What was taken away from you for you to want it so badly? Or was it... who?"

In that moment, Cinder heard footsteps behind her as well as a voice.

"Cinder!"

She turned around to see Emerald and Mercury going near her with Merlot just behind them. Apart from him, the two of them were admittedly worried about her, Emerald especially. She was the first one to run to her as Merlot spoke.

"See? I told you there's nothing to worry about."

Mercury only scoffed at him as he spoke. To be frank, the place gave him the creeps, especially with the Grimmites he called his finest evolution.

"As far as you know."

Emerald didn't know how Cinder could take being stuck with a monster for a whole day, so she had the benefit to ask.

"Are you okay, Cinder?"

Cinder gave her a nod as she replied, her voice still meekly.

"I'm fine."

Merlot heard her voice and began to bear a small grin.

"Ah, so you're making fine strides in recovering your voice. Now, if only your powers can do the same..."

As he thought to himself, Merlot looked back towards the failure Cinder was talking to, only to see him stand perfectly still. His eyes widened in intrigue. Since he'd been put inside, he was thrashing around, trying desperately to break his cage with no success. And now, he was being... calm. The one thing he hasn't been for a long time, and it was only after a whole day with Cinder looking at him. It made him interested, to say the least.

"Well, it's about time you've gotten your rage under control. I was beginning to think it would be impossible."

Emerald looked over to the mad doctor and became curious.

"What do you mean?"

"For too long, this one has been trying to break out of his cage the day he was put in here. For almost half the year, I tried to think of ways to sedate him, but nothing I tried could ever satiate the fury he held inside. Nothing, except apparently... Cinder."

Mercury knew where this was going, and he didn't like it one bit.

"So, you're telling me that we're gonna have a Grimmite bodyguard that follows Cinder's orders?"

Merlot looked to Mercury before answering him.

"Assuming she's the one who stabilized him to begin with, yes."

"Great..."

Just then, the failure began to murmur something, catching Cinder's attention, though it's unknown if it's for better or worse.

"Raider..."

Cinder turned back to the creature before inquiring to it.

"What?"

"My name... is Raider. R-Raider Rubeus."

Cinder had a look of puzzlement at first. For whatever reason, it sounded familiar to her, though she couldn't place why. But she could solve that mystery for another time. What mattered to her was that she had one more pawn to use. And sooner or later, she will see his worth for herself. Somehow, she was looking eager for it. She was practically grinning as she spoke.

"Well. It's nice to meet you, Raider."

* * *

Back at Atlas, it is now nighttime. Preston was on his way back to the dorms as he sighed to himself. He didn't know how to begin to apologize to his team, or if they'd even accept it. Nickel was only trying to help his team like he was. And Logan and Magenta stood by his side when he didn't. This showed how much they came to care for each other. Why was he too blind to see it before?

Whether they wanted to or not, they were growing together. But he distanced himself from them whenever he could, dumping them with Penny. What kind of leader would do that? It's a wonder he wasn't removed from the position at all. They could've left him anytime they wanted for a new leader, or they could've left the Academy altogether. So why didn't they...? He was a bit frantic to ask that question, but he still had an apology to make.

By the time Preston finally settled on it, he was already in front of the door. And that's when he started hearing voices. They were his teammates. Nickel was the one speaking to them.

"I know it's hard for you guys to believe, but he's had it rough, too. Who knows what the Fall of Beacon did to him?"

Logan contradicted him with a scoff.

"I think I do. He's always been on a power trip before. But ever since it happened, he's gone total control freak."

"Exactly. It really shows that he cares about us."

Magenta had her doubts as she spoke softly to her little brother.

"Nickel, it didn't seem that way when he snapped at you. You stood by his side the whole time, and he turned on you. The same way our stepmother turned on you, just because you're a Faunus. That's why we ran away in the first place. Because you deserve better."

Hearing her words, Preston sighed to himself quietly before Nickel went on.

"Magenta, his face was different from our step mother's. It wasn't out of hate. I could tell he was scared. He was more concerned than any of us ever were about it."

Logan was still adamant in his opinion as he interjected.

"If you ask me, the only thing he's worried about is getting into the Ace Operatives. We're just stepping stones to him. That's all we've ever been."

Magenta gave him a scowl as she reminded him of what they've been training for.

"And what about the people who need our help?"

"If he really cared about those people, he wouldn't be bossing us around and trying to run everything himself. I'm telling you, that guy's a dictator."

What Preston heard next caught him by surprise. He heard a thwack and a metal ting before Nickel shouted at Logan, taking the two of them aback along with the leader waiting silently outside.

"You didn't see how scared he was for us in that training room! You don't know how much it's eaten him alive just trying to deal with us with the way we've acted! All he wanted was to keep us on our toes in case we get attacked the same way Beacon was! And with that dust embargo, you of all people should know exactly what's going to happen. There's going to be more panic than ever, or worse. Someone will take advantage of the chaos and attack us for what's happening to them! How can you doubt any of that when Beacon was literally destroyed in front of us?!"

Nickel began breathing erratically from his shout, leaving Logan in shock of Nickel's outburst. Magenta, on the other hand, was more sympathetic for him.

"Nickel... Do you really feel that way?"

Nickel turned to his sister with a soft, yet stern look as he replied just as softly.

"I'm no stranger to panic, Magenta. You of all people should know that."

Magenta went up closer to him and put her hand on his shoulder in support before she and Logan spoke softly.

"I never saw you that worked up before..."

"Sorry, bud. I didn't have any idea."

Nickel sighed to Logan before he replied.

"I'm not the one you should apologize to, Logan."

Just then, Preston opened the door before he spoke softly.

"Actually, I should be the one to apologize."

Nickel, Logan, and Magenta became confused to hear those words out of his mouth. Well, the last two, of course. Nickel was more curious out of the three as he spoke.

"Huh? For what?"

Preston sat down on his bed as he spoke softly. Hearing Nickel stick up for him, even after he turned on him, somehow made it easier to say what he needed to.

"For a lot of things, actually. First off, I'm sorry about the way I treated you, Nickel. You stood by my side, and I shunned you. It wasn't right for me to do that to you, and I have no excuse for it."

Nickel tried to reassure his leader, placing his own hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay. Really."

Preston only moved his arm away as he continued.

"No, it's not. You said it yourself; the panic is getting worse. I think maybe... I think maybe that's why I started to get rough on you. Anything could happen at this point. And I can't always be around for you."

Logan raised an eyebrow, still not willing to take his apology at face value.

"Like you haven't proved that enough already."

Magenta scolded him quickly as she spoke in defense for him.

"Logan!"

Preston raised his hand to hold her back before he continued.

"No. He's right. I shouldn't have been dumping Penny on you guys. You guys are my responsibility, not hers. It's just that there was a lot for me to try to figure out with what's been going on. And you're not wrong. I did want to be in the Ace Operatives."

Logan looked back to Nickel and Magenta with a smug grin, knowing he was right while Magenta scowled at him.

"See?"

"But it's because I felt like they're the only ones who get what I'm going through. Well, among other things."

Magenta became generally curious as she inquired to him about how they'd understand him.

"How would you know? You haven't even talked to them."

"That's not the point, Magenta. They knew the stakes from every mission, and they didn't just have people to look after; they had to take care of each other, too. And more than that, they were in harmony; they understood what had to be done and did it without question. It's been a month now, and I couldn't get you to understand what I'm trying to do for you guys until now. But I guess that's my own fault. I should've been a better leader for you... and I'm sorry."

Like he expected, they didn't jump all at once for him. But little by little, they could tell he meant every word of it. Nickel was the first to speak to him as he held onto his hand, making him look to the young Faunus.

"It's okay. You're just scared. It happens to everybody. And I should know."

Magenta sat down next to Preston after getting down from her bed above him as she concurred with him.

"We have been going pretty hard on you this past month. Some of us more so than others."

Magenta gave Logan a narrow glare, making him groan before she went on.

"Anyway, I figure we owe you this much. Maybe you can trust us more often that way."

Preston smiled at Magenta before looking up at Logan to his left. He wanted to know what he had to say. Of course, he somehow expected a flat refusal.

"Well... I wouldn't hold your breath. I'm not gonna say it just so you could feel less guilty."

Magenta lightly growled at him with a glare before Logan took notice of it and he was forced to agree as he sighed.

"Okay. I guess I was kinda hard on you, too. But you better keep that bossing around us thing to a minimum."

"Noted. And you won't have to worry about those drills. Because early tomorrow morning, we'll need to see Ironwood."

This made his team wide-eyed very quickly. Bringing his name into it must mean serious business. Logan spoke first in surprise before Magenta and Nickel, the last of the three who recalled seeing the blue-haired girl with him.

"Wait. Ironwood? Like the James Ironwood?"

"He's calling for us?"

"Did it have anything to do with that girl?"

Preston gave a light smile as he reassured them.

"Don't worry. You guys aren't in any trouble. But he did say the reason is classified. And the reason she's here is just as classified, too. That's all I can tell you."

There is a small moment of silence before he spoke again, cutting off his conversation entirely.

"Well, good night."

Preston quickly went inside his blanket while Logan was stuck on the mystery as Magenta and Nickel did the same.

"What? That's it? That's all you have to say? You don't just get to drop a bombshell like that on us and say good night. Now I won't be able to sleep at all..."

Magenta and Nickel spoke up to him as they laid down snug in their beds.

"Well, you better, because it's early in the morning."

"Yeah. And it's not like we see the Ace Operatives slacking off."

* * *

The next morning, however, Nickel's assumption was far from the truth. A young man with long greenish-black hair and blue eyes was whining in tiredness. He was a Faunus with a dark gray/light gray canine tail near his rump (which hung low in exhaustion), and he wore an Atlesian Specialist uniform that consisted of a white double-breasted coat with silver buttons, dark blue accents, collar, and shoulder flaps with matching cuffs that have two silver buttons. The coat's tail was naturally split, allowing Marrow's tail to move freely. He also had a dark blue belt with a silver buckle around his waist with a dark blue pouch on the right side, along with a red ascot tied around his neck. To complete the set, he had a red shirt under his coat and dark blue trousers tucked into his black knee-high boots.

"Ugh... early... too early... no time for coffee, because... too early..."

The woman on the left of the canine Faunus responded quickly in aggravation.

"And hey, guess what, Marrow? You complaining about that every three seconds? Isn't exactly making it any better for us."

She was a dark-skinned young woman with platinum blonde and brown hair shaved on the sides and dark pink eyes. She also wore a very short-sleeved Specialist uniform that consisted of a sleeveless white double-breasted vest with silver buttons and dark blue accents. It had a white and dark blue-collar, a dark blue short-sleeved t-shirt, a red tie, and white shorts. Beside that, she wore dark blue chaps that presumably connect to the tops of her shorts. The chaps exposed the inner part of the thighs and the backs of her calves. She also wore blue fingerless gloves and dark gray trainers with black accents and a white stripe accompanied with red socks. She also had white calf pads and dark blue knee pads, as well. There are also dark blue straps fastened around the top of her vest. The blond portions of her hair were styled in a way that resembled a rabbit's ears. And beside her was at least one more member.

One of them was a tall man with short shaved gray hair, deathly pale skin, and light blue eyes. He had several tattoos, including a third eye tattoo along the centre of his forehead and chin, and wore a Specialist uniform that was partially unbuttoned with a broad tail. A red sash ran diagonally over his left shoulder meeting a second red sash around his waist under a large blue belt, and navy blue fingerless gloves that went up to his wrists. He also wore navy blue pants tucked into a pair of navy blue thigh-high boots with steel toe and heel plating, a small pouch on the sides, and kneepad detailing. He also wore beaded necklaces around his neck and beaded bracelets around his right arm alongside two silver bands, one small, and one large on his left forearm. He looked as stoic as ever as he informed his Faunus friend with his hands neatly folded behind his back.

"You know, if you kept to a proper sleep schedule you wouldn't be so exhausted when you woke up. Right, Elm?'

Unfortunately for the thin, pale Huntsman, his giant of a partner next to him had somehow fallen asleep standing up. She was a tall young muscular woman with medium brown hair in a short ponytail, brown-tan skin, and brown eyes. She wore a Specialist uniform that consisted of an open white, one-sleeved crop jacket with dark blue accents, a shoulder flaps and collar combo, and a dark gray shirt. She had silver vambraces over her forearms, along with a red belt around her white pants and usually goes barefoot, save for some occasional martial arts footwraps alongside dark blue calf plates that cover the tops of her feet, and the plates themselves had three red straps tied around them. She also had a silver hoop earring on her right ear.

Anyway, Elm's posture was slouched and her head was sagging to the side, not to mention the small trickle of drool coming out of her softly snoring mouth. Vine sighed quietly, closing his eyes, before raising his hand and snapping his fingers in front of the muscular woman's face. Elm's eyes shot open immediately before she began to shout, flailing her arms around her.

"HUH!? WHAT!? WHO'S THAT!?"

It didn't take long for Elm to notice the exasperated look Vine was giving her, as well as a tired snicker from Marrow. She realized she'd been caught and tried to make an excuse.

"Uhhhh... I was... just resting my eyes...?"

Marrow took the opportunity to make a light jab at her with a quip. Just because he was half asleep himself, didn't mean he couldn't still roast his own teammates.

"And about 90% of your brain, I bet."

The shorter, dark-skinned woman scoffed to herself as she leaned back on the wall behind her, crossing her arms as she pondered to herself while Marrow and Elm were going back and forth. She'd never admit it to her wolf tailed teammate, but the speedy Huntress agreed; it was way too early for a meeting, especially one which they didn't even know what it was for. "Classified" was all General Ironwood told them in his message. That, and it was "imperative to the future of the Ace Ops". Honestly, Harriet couldn't care less what this was about, she just wanted to get this over with and get back to work.

Then, as if on cue, the lights on the elevator on the eastern side of the room lit up, and a second later, the heavy metal doors "swooshed" open.

General Ironwood strode confidently into the room, followed closely by Clover and Francis. As soon as the headmaster and military leader set foot in the room, all four waiting members of the Ace Ops stood up straight and offered their commanding officer a salute, a practice that had been drilled into their heads since their first days at Atlas Academy.

However, much to Vine, Elm, Marrow, and Harriet's combined surprise, a whole team followed closely behind him. Team PLNM had received the message from Preston to join in on the meeting. They knew just as much as the Ace Operatives did, so seeing them made things interesting. Of course, with half of them bring tired, with Nickel being just as refreshed as Preston while Magenta was still waking up, Harriet didn't quite see much to work with. But when they passed the Ace Ops, things became more perplexing to her.

Another feminine figure exited the elevator after Team PLNM. It was a girl, a teenager by her appearance, with short, striking, sky blue hair stopping just above her shoulders. The most notable features, however, were the blue colored markings on her face, curving lines just below her matching in color eyes, and two dots on each side of her chin. Harriet raised an eyebrow as the girl hurried after the entourage she'd arrived with. She had to wonder. Was she a student?

Possibly, but she wasn't wearing the academy's typical uniform, although for that matter, neither was Team PLNM. Instead, she was wearing what looked like a white duster, grey pants, some kind of bandage wrappings around her arms, black gloves, and a pair of dark blue boots, but most surprisingly, she was armed. In one holster on the side of her coat was an obvious pistol, and in the other was what looked like the hilt of a collapsible blade of some kind. Why was she here? What business did a girl her age have at a meeting dubbed "Classified?" And what did Team PLNM have to do with it, if they had any role in it at all?

She considered the idea at first. That is, until she remembered that they haven't had any significant mission since the Fall of Beacon. But it was the markings that really stood out to Harriet. They sent an odd chill down her spine, for reasons unknown to her. The curves, the lines, the symmetry, aside from the color, they almost looked like... well, a Grimm's. Ironwood's voice was the only thing at the moment that shook her out of it as he took his place front and center to his team, Clover and Francis standing to his right, and the mysterious girl settling into the spot on his left. As for Team PLNM, they were just beside the Ace Ops.

"At ease, everyone. I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here this morning. Well, you all know how much I hate beating around the bush, so without further ado, I want to introduce you all to Skye Volare."

Ironwood gestured to the mysterious girl, who stood up straight with her hands clasped behind her back, trying to look professional. "Trying" being the key word, Harriet could tell from a mile away how nervous this "Skye" was. She was practically shaking in her boots. Also, now that she was viewing this girl from the front, Harriet saw she was wearing what appeared to be some kind of harness under her duster, that was giving off a bright blue light over her sternum. There was also a strange, out of place looking, golden hairpin holding back the blue locks over her left eye. Just then, the cerulean haired teen happened to make eye contact with the quickest of the Ace Ops. Harriet gave the girl a scrutinizing look which immediately made Skye look away. Logan took notice of that and looked towards Preston.

"Looks like we know where you got that attitude from."

Preston didn't find Logan's quip any amusing than before, which was not much at all. He gave him a quick bump of his fist on his arm, making him since as he spoke softly before Ironwood continued.

"Just listen."

"However, I'm also aware that some of you might not be meeting her for the first time today."

For the Ace Ops, Marrow, Vine, and Harriet looked at each other in confusion, until all their gazes drifted to Elm who was smiling like the cat that'd swallowed the canary. The tall brunette never did have much of a poker face. When they saw her being so excited, Elm laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Heh heh heh. Surprised?"

Marrow was mildly impressed with how Elm managed to keep the secrecy for this long.

"That you managed to keep a secret for so long? Definitely."

The tall woman gave her faunus teammate a short glare, before turning her attention back to the focus of the conversation, speaking cheerfully to her with a wave.

"Hello, Skye."

The blue haired girl smiled shyly before mumbling out a quiet welcome in response.

"Hello..."

Nickel and Magenta took notice of her demeanor as they spoke softly again.

"I've never seen her so nervous."

"Maybe she's just new to being around people."

Meanwhile, Elm gave a toothy grin before a light bulb went off in her head. When that happened, she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Oh! Is today finally the day?"

Vine became genuinely curious about what had gotten his partner so riled.

"The day... for what, exactly?"

Clover, however, seemed to get the gist as he interjected.

"Yes, Elm. I'm proud to say that today is the day."

The leader of the Ace Ops looked to Skye and smiled fondly. The girl with the blue markings fidgeted a bit under his gaze, looking apprehensive, but also eager. However, Marrow was looking exasperated from the suspense with his hand on his forehead.

"Okay, okay, okay. So are either of you going to get to the point, or are we just supposed to sit here scratching our heads forever?"

Logan shared in his thoughts as he spoke loudly.

"Thank you!"

Preston, Nickel, and Magenta all looked right at Logan, but the leader and Magenta were both glaring at him before he shrugged his shoulders.

"What? You know I can't take the suspense."

General Ironwood cleared his throat, regaining the focus of all in attendance before he began again.

"As I was saying, this is Skye Volare. And as of today, she will be joining the Ace Ops."

There was a long silence in the room, before Harriet and Logan spoke up simultaneously.

"Wait, what!?"

Preston sighed as he held his head down before Nickel looked to him.

"Is that what Ironwood was telling you, Preston?"

"Among other things. And it wasn't exactly a picnic for me, either."

As baffled as Team PLNM was, the rest of the Ace Ops (aside from Elm and Clover) had similar reactions to this news as Marrow asked the General incredulously.

"Uhh... no offense, General... Er— sir, but how old is this girl?"

Ironwood seemed to hesitate a bit before he answered.

"She's 17."

The silence returned as the three members of the elite team reeled from this new information. Even Vine, who was usually indifferent, was surprised.

"That's... even younger than Marrow was when he was recruited."

Vine's comment earned an unamused look from Marrow. He was never a fan of being singled out as the youngest of the Ace Ops. As for Nickel, he was just as surprised, but it was more out of wonder than bafflement.

"17? That's how old I am."

Then, it was Francis' turn to break the silence.

"You better be joking about this, Ironwood. If I've said it before, I've said it a thousand times, at least! We only accept the elite, not some child taken in from the streets!"

Skye rubbed her left forearm uncomfortably as the members of the team she was supposed to join continued to voice their objections. Aside from her initial outburst, though, Harriet remained quiet, simply staring at the blue haired girl in disbelief while Francis continued to belittle her meaning on this team. Magenta and Nickel took notice of this and felt bad for her.

It reminded them too much of how they'd lived with their stepmother continuously putting the Faunus down and treating him as if he was a slave. Magenta had enough of it and ran away with him. And even though they weren't related, Magenta decided to call Nickel her brother and look after him as such. Fortunately for Skye, she had her own help as Elm spoke boisterously, walking across the room and joining the General and Clover at the bizarrely-marked girl's side.

"C'mon, Frank!"

Francis only glared at Elm with a mutter.

"For the last time, it's Francis..."

"Skye here's been training for years for this day. I can guarantee she's ready for this. I've seen her in action firsthand."

The blue haired girl did her best to hide the appreciative smile as she tried to remain serious. But Clover's words of defense for her made it all the more difficult.

"Elm's right. I've been tutoring Skye personally for several years now, and so has Elm. Even the General himself has provided input in her... development. She's passed every test we've given her just for the chance to be a part of this team. She's ready."

This time, Skye wasn't able to suppress the look of adoration and appreciation at the lucky Huntsman coming to her defense. Ironwood looked to the group, especially towards Preston and his team.

"I understand your apprehension. Perhaps it is asking too much for the three of you to just blindly accept this decision. So, what do you say to a little demonstration?"

This got the attention of the three unconvinced Ace Ops, especially Preston's. It didn't appear that she could do much out on the field. But if there was a reason Ironwood recruited her, he had to know why.

"I suppose now you might understand why I asked to hold this meeting here of all places."

Ironwood gestured to the floor of the training room visible out the long window behind him as the lights came on. This must be the perch from where Atlas' headmaster oversaw the development in training. He turned to his blue haired pupil and gave a confident smirk.

"What do you say, Skye? You want a chance to show them what you can do?"

The blue haired teen nodded solemnly as she replied softly but just as clear.

"Yes, sir."

Skye stepped back into the elevator she'd arrived in and headed back down to the lower level.

Marrow, Vine, and Harriet all exchanged glances to each other, as did Team PLNM before they stepped up to the glass, looking down into the empty, grid lined, training room as they joined Elm, Clover, Francis, and Ironwood. Down below, Skye walked out towards the center of the arena as cubes of hard light dust started to form structures around her. Ironwood pondered to his partner as he inquired something to him casually.

"Clover? What's the recommended training level for cadets at this school?"

Clover replied back to him with a grin.

"Five, sir."

Ironwood looked back down to the training room through the glass before an idea came to him.

"Hm. Set it to ten."

Marrow and Logan didn't hesitate to shout in concern for her. And neither did Magenta and Nickel.

"WHAT!?"

"I'm sorry, General, but that's overkill!"

"If she were like Preston, sure, but she's just a little kid!"

"There's no telling what would happen to her out there!"

Preston looked back to his team. He understood their concerns. He especially had doubts at first sight. But he knew better than to question Ironwood. If Ironwood trusted Skye, there must be a reason for it. He held his hand up to silence their objections, catching them by surprise.

"At ease, guys. Let her train."

Nickel and Magenta showed the most concern as they spoke simultaneously.

"But Preston..."

"Don't worry. If Ironwood thinks she can handle it, then I trust him. And you should do the same."

Even with his words of faith, Marrow andPreston's team members only looked to Ironwood and Clover in concern as the leader of the Ace Ops set the difficulty of the session to the headmaster's specifications, and then they looked down to Skye, hoping she can at least survive the onslaught to come.

_**Play Jeff Williams Music: "Hero (Instrumental)"**_

Down in the training room, across the floor from Skye, shutters opened up from the ground, revealing several AK-130 droids whose bodies immediately lit up red as their visors slammed down over their heads. The robots all set their sights on the girl before them, as their arms morphed into heavy machine guns and they began advancing on her.

Skye was unflinching as the AK's approached. She merely reached to her holsters and pulled out her weapons, the sword's hilt unfolding into a blade with electricity surging along it's edge, and the pistol fitting perfectly in her palm.

Once they were close enough, the droids opened fire, round after round tearing through the air headed at Skye. The blue haired teen rolled nimbly to the left, returning fire with her pistol, taking the heads off two of the robots before they could reestablish their aim. Vine was impressed with her skills so far, as was Preston.

"Not bad."

The other two observing Ace Ops gave their comrade a perplexed look only for him to reply just as nonchalantly.

"Well, it wasn't."

Frankly, Preston couldn't agree more.

"Nice to know she can hold her own, at least."

Ironwood never took his eyes off the blue haired girl as she continued to sidestep bullets from the last reaming AK.

"Come on. You can do this..."

Skye got closer and closer, just barely dodging the rounds as they fired past her. Once she was close enough, the remaining robot switched its machine guns for twin blades coming out of its arms and dashed at its opponent. The blue marked girl raised her own sword and the two met, both slashing as they rushed past one another. For a moment, neither moved, until electricity surged through the robot and it fell to the ground, split cleanly down the middle.

Logan and Marrow whistled quietly at the display, earning a glare from Harriet to her comrade while Magenta looked to him with a grin.

"Hey. You can't blame me for her being as fast as Harriet."

Harriet scoffed as she put it out of her mind. It didn't matter how well this weird girl disposed of a few tin cans; she'd have to do a lot more if she wanted to impress the fastest of the Ace Ops.

Suddenly a hail of gunfire started raining down on Skye. From across the training room, eight more AK-130 models appeared from behind the shutters, some firing, while others advanced, blades drawn. Preston looked on in earnest, having gone through that similar situation before in his own experience in the training room.

The cerulean girl narrowed her vision, using the years of harsh training she'd endured to deflect the bullets she needed to with her sword as she ran to cover behind a stack of cubes to her right. Skye fired off a few rounds of her own while retreating, but since she was focusing on defending herself, none of them did much more than dent the metal her opponents were comprised of.

Once behind the stack, Skye stopped to catch her breath. The bullets didn't stop however, and the combined fire was quickly beginning to tear through the sturdy looking boxes. She knew she didn't have long until her cover collapsed back into the floor. The blue haired girl closed her eyes and pressed her back against the wall behind her as she tried to focus. She didn't get long before a pair of the robots appeared from around the corner and both swung their sharp appendages at her. By that time, though, Skye leapt into the air, landing on top of one of the AK's blade arms which had embedded into the wall. From her new perch, she fired a bullet at one of the robots which blew its head to pieces and sent it crumbling to the floor, then she leapt off the stuck blade and spun in the air before slicing down with her sword and cleaving the other in twain.

She didn't even get a moment's rest however, as two more droids appeared trying to run the small girl through. Skye blocked the first drone's attack before ducking under the second's, then back flipped over the other AK, kicking it in the back of the head as she did and making it stumble towards its fellow droid. As the two of them got close, their friendly fire protocol kicked in and they held their arms to their sides to avoid impaling one another. The two droids stared at each other for only a moment, before one bullet tore through both of their heads, destroying them, revealing Skye to have pulled the trigger. But the session wasn't over.

Bullets still continued to pour down on the nearly destroyed pillar of boxes, the hard light dust they were composed of flickering away as it was slowly destroyed. Left with little option, Skye checked how much ammo she had left. Two bullets, and there were currently four robots with two guns each firing literally hundreds of rounds a second at her. Not great odds, but she'd had worse. Of course, nobody up in the room above knew that as Nickel and Magenta commentated.

"She doesn't have much ammo left."

"What can she do now?"

Preston only continued to look on at the scene underneath him as he clenched his right hand.

"Come on. Show me..."

Skye took a deep breath. Then, she pressed a button on the side of her pistol, changing the ammunition type before aiming at the floor beneath her. With unflinching resolve in her eyes, she pulled the trigger.

At the same time, the AK's indomitable strategy of ripping away their target's cover finally achieved its objective as the stack of boxes began to disappear, the bottom one being the first to go. However, in the moment the box fell away to nothing, it revealed only an empty space behind it before the cube above it fell into its place.

In the second it took for the droids' primitive AI's to comprehend this anomaly, Skye reappeared above the stack of hard light dust constructs, her pistol's muzzle still giving off a crackle of purple energy from the gravity dust shot she'd fired to launch herself into the air.

The AK units began to readjust their aim, the barrels of their machine guns already spinning and starting to fire again, but they hadn't the time to attack to begin with. Skye threw her electrically charged blade towards the one furthest to her left. The weapon stuck itself in the robot's right shoulder, the force making it involuntarily turn in that direction, and its already firing weapons tore into its comrades. The closest two went down instantly under the assault of dust and metal, and the third was badly damaged and spun helplessly in place.

The first AK finally regained control of its body and went to face its true target, but Skye had used the time she'd earned to rush in, grab the exposed hilt of her sword in the robot's shoulder and tear it out through the droid's side, dismantling it. Then, she pulled out her pistol and fired her last bullet into the final AK, ending the training match.

_**End Jeff Williams Music: "Hero (Instrumental)"**_

From above, Team PLNM, the Ace Ops, and the General watched in silence. Of the group that had been questionable about the idea of this girl joining them, six of them gave slightly impressed looks. Clover smirked at Marrow, Vine, Nickel, Magenta, Logan, and Preston, gesturing with his hand towards Skye as if to say, "Told you so."

Harriet and Francis, however, were still doubtful.

"Sir, with all due respect, robots are one thing, but you didn't bring us into this group to fight our own drones."

The quick footed woman did her best to keep her tone civil, although she was still pretty livid at the idea of this teenager joining their ranks. Which was more than can be said for Francis.

"She's right. If you wanted to prove her worth, you'll need her to do more than that admittedly impressive display."

Marrow agreed with the two of them, but it was more out of concern.

"True. There are things out there that training bots just can't prepare you for. Like—"

Before Marrow could finish, the headmaster interrupted him.

"Grimm?"

Francis raised an eyebrow, confused at his suggestion.

"Uh, yes. Exactly. Among other things, I'm sure."

"You're right, so why don't we get to the real match."

Ironwood stepped up to the console and activated the speaker system before speaking into the microphone, his voice echoing loudly into the room below.

"Well done, Skye. But are you ready to move on to the main event?"

Skye looked up, her expression difficult to read, but looking somewhere between reluctance and resignation. The blue haired teen nodded, and Ironwood pressed a few buttons on the controls ahead of him.

Down in the training room, another shutter opened, but behind this one wasn't an AK unit. Instead, an inhuman roar filled the large room as a pair of black hands reached out of the darkness, long white claws at the ends of their fingertips. Marrow and Logan were scared deathly as they shouted.

"What the crap?!"

"Okay, now THAT'S overkill!"

Magenta was nervous to ask, but tried nonetheless as she and Nickel looked at the Grimm emerging from the shutter.

"Uh, is it just me, or is it—?"

Clover gratified her question as he interjected.

"A Beowolf? Yes."

Sure enough, the wolf-like Grimm crawled out from its temporary prison, shaking its head as if disoriented, before its red eyes settled on Skye a few meters away. The Beowolf growled lowly at the small girl, crouching low and preparing to pounce.

Harriet looked on in disbelief as she turned from Clover to Elm to Ironwood, all of whom were wearing the same unworried expression while Francis only bore a small glare. They were joking, right? There was no way this was real, right? And Harriet wasn't the only one, either. Even Preston can agree that this was too much. Vine spoke up to Ironwood, looking more surprised than anyone ever saw him.

"How did you even manage to capture a live Grimm?"

"An excellent question. Keep watching, and I believe you'll find the answers yourself, Vine."

Logan didn't see the merit in the "wait and see" routine.

"Forget that! We need to get her out of here, now!"

In the training room, Skye stared down the Grimm. Then, to the surprise of the onlookers, she holstered both of her weapons.

Marrow looked like he was about to faint. Vine's hands were no longer clasped behind his back in quiet contemplation and genuine worry seemed to be flashing across his face. Magenta and Nickel held each other close, both silently praying she can survive it while Logan was rushing for the elevator to come to her rescue, Clover wouldn't let him as he held his shirt back. As for Harriet... she didn't know what to do. Sure, she wasn't thrilled about this teenager joining this team, but she didn't want this poor girl to get herself killed. The fastest Ace Op knew she could be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but she was a Huntress at the end of the day, and it was her job to protect people. Right now every fiber of her being was screaming at her to use her semblance and race down to the training room in a flash of lightning to end this madness, but even Harriet knew she'd never get there fast enough at this point. All she could do was watch.

Same went for Preston. He didn't know whether to trust Ironwood and hope for the best or to leap out of the window himself and assist her. Maybe he didn't have as much faith in him as he would've liked, but his conscience wouldn't let him go through with the possibility that she wouldn't come back alive. He held onto his holstered sword in his scabbard, getting himself ready to make a move when things undoubtedly go south.

The Beowolf leapt towards Skye, claws out, ready to rend flesh. However, the blue haired girl didn't retreat. In fact, she moved towards the beast, bypassing its razor sharp appendages as she pressed both her palms against the Grimm's black, fur covered chest.

What happened next was surprising to say the least. The Beowolf stopped moving, almost appearing to be frozen, before a soft blue light began to shine from where Skye's hands touched the beast. That light grew and grew, slowly overtaking the Grimm, as the markings on the cerulean girls face lit up as well.

Everyone watching had to shield their eyes from the light as it grew too strong to bear, all except Ironwood that is, his cybernetics allowing him to maintain his focus on his pupil as he smiled proudly whilst thinking to himself.

"That's my girl."

The blue light faded, revealing Skye and the Beowolf to be remaining in the same spot they'd been in, with one key difference between the two. The Grimm, once black with red lines on the bone like mask covering its face, was now sporting a silvery white coat of fur, with its markings matching the brilliant blue ones on Skye.

The transformation had all three of the uninformed Ace Ops' jaws on the floor, along with Team PLNM's, save for Preston's as his eyes merely widened in surprise. Even Francis was shaken to his core from seeing this as Elm spoke with a chuckle.

"T-This is impossible...!"

"Yeah, it's pretty intense seeing it for the first time."

The Beowolf finally began to move again, though its demeanor had completely changed. It regarded Skye almost... familiarly, leaning in close and sniffing at the blue haired teen. Skye held out a hand to the once savage beast, and to everyone's further surprise, the Grimm... licked it affectionately.

Marrow made a collection of unintelligible noises at the sight, and while Harriet would normally have been more than happy to see her faunus teammate at a loss for words for once, she herself was still trying to process what was going on. Preston was in the same boat. It didn't occur to him that she would be capable of such a feat to turn a Grimm to her side. No wonder Ironwood wanted to recruit her. Logan on the other hand was awestruck. So much so he began to speak without thinking.

"I am so in love with her right now."

Magenta overheard this and became puzzled with a smirk, making him retract his words.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

Ironwood spoke again to Skye as he pressed another button on the control panel.

"Alright, let's start round two."

More shutters opened in the training room, and out stepped three more Beowolves.

At this point, Marrow, Vine, and Harriet didn't even know how to react, and neither did Team PLNM nor Francis. They could only watch as Skye and the Beowolf she had somehow "changed" both turned to face the quickly approaching Grimm. The beast with the blue markings roared at its fellow monsters before rushing towards them with the same ferocity it had at Skye just moments earlier. The cerulean girl wasn't far behind, as she held her sparking blade out to her side and followed the Beowolf.

The clash of claws and sword lasted only a few minutes, the pale Grimm slashing at its kin while also making sure to protect Skye at all costs. The odd Beowolf suffered multiple wounds from the others as it tried to keep its new partner safe, while Skye was always quick to counterattack with her electrical blade, lobbing off dark colored body parts from her opponents until only she and the Grimm she'd "turned" remained, the rest of the Beowolves mangled bodies disintegrating into dark smoke. The sole remaining Grimm's body was covered in cuts as it breathed heavily, but still it stood firm at Skye's side. Seeing this for himself, Francis shuddered at her potential as he spoke to himself.

"I never imagined that a mere girl could have this power..."

In the training room, Ironwood's voice came through proudly over the PA system.

"Excellent work, Skye. Now, take care of that last one and meet us upstairs."

Skye didn't answer, she didn't even look towards the source of the voice, she just stared at the pale Beowolf, almost as if in a trance herself now. Slowly, she started to reach out to it... Ironwood took notice and became worried for her.

"Skye?"

Preston took notice of the hint of concern in Ironwood's voice as he looked to him with his team taking notice of it as well.

"Skye... you know what has to happen next."

Harriet gave her commanding officer a perplexed lookout of the corner of her eye next before the blue haired teen snapped out of her stupor. She took one last look at the creature before her, then closed her eyes as the markings on her skin flashed briefly.

As if the color drained away from it, the Grimm returned to its black and red color scheme almost instantly. It raised its head to look at Skye, its crimson gaze locked onto her as it began to growl before it leapt towards the teen.

Fortunately, the damage the Grimm had suffered left it weak, and all the blue haired girl had to do was raise her sword ever so slightly and the beast inadvertently impaled itself on it, quickly disappearing after. Skye watched as the black smoke faded into nothingness with an unreadable expression on her face. But it didn't elude Nickel. He knew what she must've been feeling, whatever happened to her. It was almost like guilt. Then, she turned around without a word and made her way back to the elevator leading to the observation room. While she walked, Marrow tried to speak his opinion, but the words seemed to fall out of his head halfway through. Naturally, Elm and Clover tried to finish his sentence before Ironwood interjected, turning back to face both teams.

"T-that was..."

"Awesome?"

"Impressive?"

"Classified."

The wolf-tailed Faunus scratched the back of his head as he stared wide eyed at the training room.

"I... actually was going to say really freaking weird."

The headmaster sighed before he spoke again.

"I know what you just saw must have been a little... jarring. But I assure you, Skye is no threat to any of you."

Francis didn't know how to believe that as he turned to Ironwood with a glare.

"And how do you know that for sure?"

"We've spent years honing her gifts, with only her own safety in mind. Rest assured, we took no steps that she didn't agree to first. You can ask her yourself, but I can promise you that she wanted this chance to prove herself to all of you more than anyone."

Preston gave his words food for thought. Apart from the obvious differences, they still wanted to prove their worth to the people they look up to. In that way, she was no different from him. Vine then began to ask in a tone that could be misconstrued as tactless, but truth be told, it was the question on everyone's mind.

"What... is she?"

Ironwood took a moment of thought before he answered.

"She's... just a girl, who's suffered more than any person should. And I'm sad to say that most of that suffering came at the hands of this very kingdoms government."

Clover and Elm shared a sad look while the others waited for clarification before Ironwood continued.

"Skye was a part of a top secret military experiment, run by my predecessor without anyone's, even the council's, knowledge. It was called... Project Grimmwalker. I didn't even know about her existence until..."

The General stopped himself and closed his eyes tightly. He couldn't bring himself to tell the rest of the story. So, he left it there before he explained further.

"Well, the point is, once I did find out about her I made some... choices that I regret, and I've spent the last decade both trying to make up for that lapse in judgement and to help train Skye."

Harriet couldn't resist an eye roll. How very like Ironwood, answering a question by creating several more, but she knew she wouldn't be able to get any more than what he was willing to share out of the man. Besides, she was just a soldier, and any good soldier knew better than to openly and brazenly question their commanding officer. Which, again, was more than can be said for Francis, apparently. But even he had to know when to swallow his pride. He was still at a loss as Clover nudged his arm.

"Bet you feel pretty silly now for questioning him."

Francis only moved his arm away as he muttered before Ironwood continued.

"Silence..."

"All you need to know is that she's an ally, one that could possibly change the course of all conflict on Remnant. So think of her recruitment to your team as a kind of... trial run."

Marrow had his doubts, too. But unlike Harriet, he lacked in the tact that she had been exuding in not questioning Ironwood's judgment... out loud at least.

"So we're guinea pigs now?"

However, Vine brought the conversation's focus to the wiry Huntsman.

"I say we give her a shot."

With how quickly he agreed, Marrow again tried and failed to stammer out a response while Elm 'whooped' loudly in response to her partners acceptance.

"Alright! I knew I could count on you, Vine!"

The tall woman marched over to the thin man with her hand up, expecting a high five. Vine merely looked past the hand and into his partner's eyes with a deadpan expression, unfazed. Elm turned to her next with an expectant look in her eyes.

"Uhh... Harriet?"

The quick footed Huntress looked between her teammate and Ironwood before she tried to voice her thoughts on Skye's hesitation only dealing with the Grimm.

"So what was all that about at the end there?"

Ironwood looked to her before speaking to her sternly.

"Nothing you need to worry about. I promise you, you don't have to concern yourself with anything like that happening in the field with her. Skye knows what's at stake here, and I wouldn't be sending her out with you if I didn't think she was up to this mentally."

Harriet put her hands on her hips before sighing loudly, the only protest she could afford at this point before speaking with minimal conviction.

"Then fine. I trust you, sir. Let's see what she can do."

Clover looked over to his team with a smile as he spoke to them.

"Then we're all in agreement then?"

To answer, however, Marrow was waving his hand in the air.

"Uh, hello? Everyone forget about me?"

Harriet had to resist from the obvious jab of "of course we did." and made a sigh before Elm and Vine had a more proactive solution in mind. The thin Huntsman spoke first with his stoic look returned before Elm nudged Marrow slightly with her elbow.

"I'm surprised you're fighting this that much, Marrow."

"Yeah, I thought you'd jump at the chance to not be the youngest on the team anymore."

Both of them had worked together so long, they knew exactly what the other was trying to do here. It wasn't long before Marrow got the message and became practically overjoyed as his eyes grew in realization.

"What're you— Oh... OHHHHHH!"

Just then, the elevators door swooshed open again and Skye reentered the room. She was suddenly stopped when Marrow appeared in front of her with his tail beginning to wag as he held out his hand to shake with Skye.

"Welcome aboard, newbie!"

After recovering from the shock of Marrow's sudden approach, the blue haired girl studied his outstretched hand with a reluctant look in her sea colored eyes.

"I... I..."

Logan only sprayed Marrow away with a water bottle as he chased him away, much to the wolf Faunus' chagrin.

"Hey, give the lady some space!"

"That is very offensive!"

Logan looked back to her and held his hand out next in a cool tone.

"Hello."

Skye began to look more confused than nervous as she spoke softly.

"Uh... hi?"

Before Logan could make his move any further, Clover began approaching the two quickly, gesturing to her and turning towards Logan and Marrow.

"It's okay, Skye. Don't mind them. Sorry, guys. It's not personal or anything, Skye's just not a fan of touching people."

The wolf man gave the girl a confused look, before awkwardly running his hand through his hair while Logan began to get embarrassed.

"Oh! Is-is she shy? I'll give her some space if you need me to."

Magenta could barely hold in her snicker at Logan as the girl with the blue markings gave an embarrassed glance at the room full of people staring at her now. Thankfully, before this situation could get much more uncomfortable, the General stepped in.

"Why don't you all go finish the final preparations for your mission tomorrow. That includes you, too, Skye. You've got a big day ahead. All of you do."

Ironwood then turned to the other Ace Ops and Team PLNM as he spoke.

"With that, you're all dismissed. I'll see you at the briefing tomorrow."

The Huntsmen and Huntresses all saluted him before leaving the room with Elm offering Skye a smile and enthusiastic wave on her way out. Then, as Team PLNM exited Preston looked back to Skye before he spoke to himself.

"I guess my skills... aren't needed yet."

Skye overheard his words and became confused as she inquired to him.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Preston only looked up to her with a gentle smile as he replied.

"Never mind."

He then began to walk out of the room. With that, only the headmaster, Francis, and the blue haired girl remained. Ironwood turned to Francis before he spoke to him.

"Is there something you have to say?"

There was a moment of silence before he answered in a humbled tone.

"General. I want to thank you for not taking my earlier advice to induct Preston in place of Ms. Volare."

This was something he didn't expect to hear from someone as proud as him. But all things considered, he is coming to accept her. And Ironwood was willing to support him for that.

"My understanding has become more clear after seeing her potential up front."

"So I see. Does this mean you'll have more faith in me the next time I give you orders?"

"Without a doubt. I'm personally ashamed of how callow I've been."

"Then it's safe to assume you've learned your lesson?"

A moment of silence came before Francis replied.

"Yes, General. I hope you can forgive me."

Ironwood took a deep breath before he spoke to him.

"There's nothing to forgive. You know what she can do now. I think that's enough."

Francis nodded to him before walking out of the room and into the elevator just as it came back up. With Francis having taken his leave, Ironwood and Skye were all that remained in the room. He gave a smirk to her as he spoke.

"Well, I think that went well."

"Really? I was pretty sure I screwed a few things up here and there."

Ironwood knelt down to the blue haired girl's level and placed a hand on her shoulder before he spoke to her. His tone was suddenly much more gentle than it had been when dealing with the other Ace Ops and Team PLNM.

"You were just nervous, and that's perfectly normal. But when push came to shove and it was time to show your stuff, you performed beyond anyone's expectations. I'm proud of you, Skye, and you should be too."

The girl with the Grimm-like markings gave a fond smile to the man who'd basically raised her. She tried to give him her gratitude.

"Thanks, dad. I— I mean— Thank you, sir!"

Ironwood smiled and let out a quiet laugh.

"That's okay, dear. It's fine to call me that if you want, but only when no one else is around, okay? The others don't need to know about that. It'd only make things more complicated for everyone."

Skye beamed up at Ironwood. She had worked the hardest she could to be where she is today. And that day has finally come. It seemed too real for her

"The other Ace Ops... so it's official now? This is really happening?"

The General didn't answer right away, instead he reached into one of his jacket's many pockets and pulled out a long piece of red fabric.

You've earned this."

Ironwood took the red cloth and wrapped it loosely around his daughter's neck. It was a scarf, the brilliant crimson standing out against the bland blues and whites of Skye's uniform. It was a symbol of her new position. A symbol that she was officially a member of the most elite group of Huntsmen in the kingdom of Atlas. The official color scheme of the Ace Ops.

Skye could no longer contain herself and wrapped her arms around the man crouching in front of her. She didn't mind touching him, not after all these years. The blue haired girl knew he didn't have any secrets left to hide from her. Ironwood returned the embrace without hesitation, tightly gripping onto the most important person in his life, someone who made him feel in a way he thought he'd abandoned a long time ago. Skye was his heart, in a manner of speaking, in human form.

The excited girl eventually let go, the smile on her face priceless to the man receiving it before she spoke to him sweetly.

"Thank you so much, Gener— ... Dad. I have to go tell Penny!"

Skye began turning and started to bolt out of the room, but stopped halfway before she remembered something and turned back, standing up straight and looking professional.

"Am I excused, sir?"

The General smirked again to her before he replied with an eye roll.

"Go. I still have some work to do here, so I'll see you back at the living quarters later."

Skye nodded, before hurrying away. Yes, Skye was the General's heart, but once she left the room, his smile fell and despair overtook his expression. Because deep down inside, it broke his actual heart to lie to her.

As for Francis, contrary to what he'd shown Ironwood before, his heart didn't change one bit. In fact, as he walked in the hallway, he couldn't help but put on a scowl of hate as he reflected on Skye's ability to transform Grimm. It was unnatural, that much was certain. But now, bringing her into the Ace Ops with such power was the worst mistake Ironwood could've ever made, or so he viewed it. He began speaking to himself with a loathing tone.

"Oh, I learned my lesson alright. That girl is more dangerous than I thought. Make no mistake, Skye Volare. I will not soon forget you..."

**A/N: And here you have it. the new chapter of my story fleshing out the Ace Ops, Skye, Francis, and Team PLNM (Platinum). If you're confused about their voices and their allusions, allow me to elucidate.**

**David Matranga - Preston Platinum (alludes to Aragorn and Legolas from The Lord of the Rings)**

**Jeremy Shada - Logan Lime (alludes to Bilbo Baggins if his Took side was more dominant in The Hobbit)**

**Justin Briner - Nickel (alludes to the Brother in Brother and Sister)**

**Kayli Mills - Magenta (alludes to the Sister in Brother and Sister)**

**Scott Patterson - Francis Ignis (alludes to Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame)**

**And in case you're wondering about Brother and Sister, I do not mean Hansel and Gretel. It is a completely different tale that is also known as "The Enchanted Stag". Anyway, the excerpt of Skye with the Ace Ops is used with LongSean22's permission. All rights for the Grimmwalker saga goes to him. And please, give him the time to finish his other stories. It'll help us both a lot better. Also, I am frightened and excited for Volume 8. This was sort of my comfort chapter to make, which is why it was really long. Other than that, I hope you all have a good day. ;)**


	8. Menagerie

**Chapter 7:** Menagerie

In the morning, Blake and Sun were sleeping in the boat's deck. The runaway was reluctant to even think about sleeping, but Sun somehow persuaded her to. It was going to be a long ride to Menagerie, after all. Blake didn't realize how much she needed it when she tried. When she got comfortable on the boat's seats, Blake fell right to sleep for little more than eight hours before she fluttered her eyes open. But when she did, Blake was caught off-guard to notice a small girl nestling against her by the leg.

She had short light brown hair, a pink-red jacket, and dark red pants with grey boots. Blake looked around the boat, hoping to find anyone resembling her parents, but as far as she could tell, not one of them matched. Aside from the Captain and his crew, everyone else on the boat was a Faunus. And this little girl sleeping on her was only human, not that she held anything against it. Still, she had to be sure that someone who was supposed to be watching her was nearby. As a Faunus couple came by her, Blake looked to them and tried to know for sure if they had any interest in the girl curled up on her leg.

"Excuse me? Is this one yours?"

The couple only looked to each other confusedly before they shook their heads and walked away, leaving Blake sighing in annoyance as she muttered to herself. If they didn't bring her with them, then it's unlikely for any other Faunus to bring a human girl.

"Great. No such luck."

Just then, the voice of a certain stalker (which Blake felt appropriate to call him for the time being) spoke up to her, making her exclaim in surprise when he began.

"You gotta admit, she's really cute, though."

Blake furrowed her glance at him. She still wasn't quite in the mood over the fact that Sun followed her all this way when she wanted to be alone. Sun, however, misinterpreted that glare and began to act defensive.

"What? You think I brought the girl here? She's not my kitten. Er— kid!"

Blake tried hard not to slap him again for his mix-up of words as she replied.

"I never said you did."

In that moment, the girl made a small yawn before fluttering her brown eyes open to see Blake and Sun looking at her with the latter waving to her.

"Uh, hi."

Almost in an instant, the girl backed away in fear and surprise, holding her arm up to her face as if she was expecting a slap on the way. Blake and Sun looked at her confusedly as the latter put his hand down slowly as he spoke.

"What was that about?"

The young girl cautiously moved her arm away. She still expected whatever blow she imagined to come, so she kept it just low enough to see them. When she did, she grew more and more comfortable as Blake and Sun reassured her.

"Hey. It's okay. We're not going to hurt you."

"Yeah. We're really nice guys."

The girl, seeing their words to be true for herself, lowered her arm as she sighed before Blake spoke softly to her.

"What are you doing out here? And why were you cuddling my leg?"

The girl looked at Blake with an embarrassed visage as she explained herself.

"It was really cold outside..."

Sun didn't think it made sense as he pointed out her attire.

"Really? _You _were cold, wearing a jacket, pants, and boots?"

The girl nodded to him as Sun became befuddled. It made no sense to him how she could be cold in that outfit.

"Yeah, I'm not buying it."

However, Blake wasn't so quick to discount her answer, nor was she quick to forget his complaint.

"Sun, you said it was cold outside last night."

Sun pouted as he corrected her.

"I said it was a _little _cold..."

Blake then looked back to the little girl as she tried to get to the bottom of how she got on the same boat. It's unlikely that Sun brought her with him; he's not that good at keeping a secret.

"So, how did you get on the boat? Did you get lost?"

The girl only took a sigh as she spoke softly.

"I guess..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the truth is... I kinda ran away from home. I didn't want to stay. It was pretty cold there."

Sun found it hard to believe as he spoke of the weather. But Blake knew very well what it meant as she brushed the girl's head gently.

"You kidding? It feels pretty warm to me."

"She's talking about the weather in her town, Sun. And there's only two places in Remnant where it's cold in times like this. And they're in the same Kingdom."

"Come on, Blake. You're telling me that she's from..."

It took a while for Sun to get the picture. Sun raised his eyes in surprise as he came to a realization, seeing the symbol of a few gears with a staff in the middle of them on the left sleeve of her jacket. From that symbol, he saw where Blake was getting at.

"Wait a minute. You're from Atlas?"

The girl made a light smile as she answered him back.

"Well, Mantle, actually. I left a few weeks ago."

It was a surprise to say the least. Blake and Sun had no idea that she came all the way from Mantle to that boat. It was a very long journey, and without any support, there was no way to survive the cold. And even if you could get past that, there's still the matter of Grimm to worry about, especially in times like this. Indeed, it was a mystery how she's managed to survive this long without at least looking as pale as a ghost. Blake had to know how she came as far as she had.

"But... if you're from Mantle, then how did you get here of all places?"

"I had to use the trains. And after each one, I had to make sure I had enough for the next ride and the food. And I just used up the last of the lien yesterday for the boat."

Blake and Sun couldn't help but feel bad for the girl. It must've been very hard for her to be on her own. Not that Blake didn't plan on it, but she knew how lonely it could be. A day in her life didn't go by since the Fall of Beacon where she ever forgot about her friends. She could sympathize with the girl on that much.

"What's your name?"

The girl looked to Blake as she replied meekly.

"My name's Phoebe. What's your name?"

Blake gently placed her hand on top of Phoebe's as she gave a gentle smile.

"It's Blake. And the one next to me is Sun."

Sun went up to Phoebe, extending his hand out with a grin.

"Nice to meet ya!"

Phoebe was caught off-guard at first by his enthusiasm, but she could tell that he was very nice. She gave a soft smile back to him as she shook his hand. Just when she did, though, a rumbling came from her belly. Sun assumed someone was pulling a prank on him and raised both of his hands as he acted defensively.

"I didn't do it!"

However, Phoebe didn't see any need for him to worry about it.

"Sorry. I told you all I could afford when I got here was the boat. I couldn't get anything to eat."

Fortunately, Sun knew a good fix for that. He personally hasn't been to Menagerie before, but he knew that where they were going, there's bound to be food to eat, and that was enough for Phoebe to know for now.

"Well, you're in luck. It's not gonna be that long until we get to Menagerie. From there, you can eat all the food you like. Right, Blake?"

However, Blake's expertise on he island allowed her to know that it was much more complicated than that. Just like with the boat, she knew that even food required a price, especially at Menagerie.

"It's not quite that simple, Sun."

Just then, Phoebe's stomach growled at her again, making her moan in sadness as she held her arms around her belly, unable to take any more hunger pains. Seeing the girl in this condition made her rethink her answer as she frowned sadly to her. She didn't want her to starve after what she went through.

"But, if it helps, I'll see what I can do when we get there."

Phoebe looked up to Blake hopefully. In her struggle, nobody else ever offered to get food for her. They either didn't care (which was mainly everyone in Mistral), or they weren't aware of her plight. But now, it seemed as though her prayers were answered.

"Really?"

"You've been through too much on your own. It's the least anyone could do for you."

Without hesitation, Phoebe leaped at Blake, surprising her before she wrapped her arms around her waist with a teary smile as she replied gratefully.

"I'd love that! Thank you so much!"

After recovering from the shock of what she thought initially was a lunge at her, Blake grew a soft, warm smile on her face and hugged Phoebe back as Sun looked on with a smile.

* * *

Later, the boat landed at a docking bay with the bell ringing as countless Faunus left the boat along with Blake, Phoebe, and Sun. Turned out, the whole island is filled with Faunus as far as the eye can see. Phoebe and Sun were awestruck with the number of Faunus on the island.

"Wow. This is amazing...!"

"Ditto to that, Phoebe. I've never seen so many Faunus in one place."

Blake didn't think it was out of the ordinary, but it was a given since he didn't go to Menagerie before. Blake decided to use the time from the boat to any possible vendors from the island to give him a lesson in the ways of Menagerie.

"This is the one place everyone can feel safe, no matter who or what they are."

The more Sun thought about it, and the more he noticed how many Faunus actually pass him by, the more uneasy he got overall. Back at Vale, he used to be able to move around, whether it's on the streets, on buildings, or even on lampposts. However, space was very limited there as he could see.

"Sure is, uh, crowded, huh?"

"Yes. Yes, it is."

Later, the group was walking throughout Menagerie, searching for a vendor near the water on a wooden bridge. Many of them were selling various fruits as Phoebe took interest in them while Sun once again voiced his complaint.

"Is it always so... cramped?"

Blake felt the situation to be understandable.

"Well, when you try and take an entire species and put them on an island that's two-thirds desert, yeah, it tends to be cramped."

"What?! You guys have that much space? Why waste it? A little desert never hurt anyone!"

"It's not like the desert in Vacuo, Sun. The wildlife here is more dangerous than most other regions."

That put a dent in Sun's perspective. He didn't consider that not all deserts are like Vacuo (which was dangerous by itself), or at least he forgot. Trying to take her own perspective into context, along with trying to get past a bunch of the Faunus that walked by them, Sun tried to decipher what it meant.

"So, they gave us a terrible island in the corner of Remnant to try and shut us up?"

Blake knew he was right on the dot. She gave him a small, sad smile.

"That's a pretty good summary, yeah."

Sun wasn't pleased with that as he walked in with them.

"Huh. Jerks."

Blake, considering how the Faunus were bountiful, explained that they weren't as pessimistic as Sun was currently.

"We've tried to make the best of things."

At last, the three of them stopped at a vendor that sold smoothies. This made Phoebe very anxious to try them as her eyes widened with joy. Her stomach was practically calling out for them. It appeared to be the only thing that can help her overcome her starvation. She quickly looked up to Blake with hunger in her eyes as she spoke eagerly.

"Can I get one of those, please?"

Blake looked at the vendor and became a bit cautious. As far as she knew, no human has ever personally visited Menagerie before, at least not in a long time. There's no telling how they'll react to Phoebe on the island. Then again, nobody else seemed to notice. Still, she found it best not to tempt fate.

"I... don't know. I know I said I'd help, but—"

"Please?"

Phoebe gave Blake the cutest puppy eyes she could give. Even she couldn't turn those eyes away. Ultimately, she gave a sigh of defeat before going up to the vendor.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do. But stay with Sun, got it?"

Phoebe nodded to her as Blake spoke to the vendor. While waiting for her food, Sun knelt down beside her and was impressed with her puppy-eyes look.

"Nice work on those puppy eyes. Fist bump."

When Sun raised his fist, Phoebe backed away slightly before he reassured her.

"No, no, no. It's okay. It's called a 'fist bump.' It's when we bump our fists together like pals."

"Oh."

Phoebe looked carefully at Sun's fist and tried to match it with her own. Hers was much smaller by comparison, so she pushed her fist gently on Sun's to avoid hurting herself. Sun gave her a smile before gently giving her a rub of the head.

"Eh, you get an 'A' for effort."

Phoebe then looked back to Blake and the vendor, seeing the latter waving to her with a smile before she waved back to him while speaking with a nervous smile back to him.

"Hi."

The vendor looked back to Blake as he handed her the smoothie.

"She's a little like you, you know."

Blake looked back to Phoebe before she spoke softly.

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

* * *

Later, Phoebe was enjoying her smoothie as she rode on Sun's shoulders as they went on a top of a hill overlooking not only a lot of homes as far as the eye can see within the glades of trees, but must notably the giant one in the middle at the very bottom of that hill. Sun and Phoebe were greatly impressed as they spoke.

"Whoa..."

"What is that place, Blake?"

"This, Phoebe, is Kuo Kuana."

Sun was awestruck by its beauty. So much so that he made a quick plan to retract his earlier complaint.

"It's... beautiful. I take it all back. This place looks great! Why would anyone want to leave?"

Blake tried to point it out to him delicately. As much as she didn't like that he lacked in seeing the big picture immediately, Blake had to remind him of what Menagerie was for.

"That's not the point, Sun. We asked to be equal, to be treated like everyone else. Instead, we were given an island and told to make do."

As Blake told this story, she didn't realize that it got Phoebe's attention as she listened in earnest.

"So we did the best we could. We came together and made a home where any Faunus could feel welcome. But this island, this town, will always be a reminder that we're still not equal. That we're still second-class citizens."

Sun placed his hand on Blake's shoulder as he spoke to her.

"Well, hey, this guy's feeling pretty at home."

Blake has a sad look on her face as she held it down. But somehow, Phoebe knew just what to say to her.

"Well... you guys seem like good people to me. Why couldn't they let you be like everyone else?"

Blake gave her a sad smile as she spoke softly.

"Sometimes, I wonder the same thing. Alright. Time to go home."

Sun grew curious about its location as he put his arm around her and brought her close to him. In the process, though, Phoebe had to hold on to her smoothie to keep it from spilling when he leaned.

"Oh, yeah? Which one's yours? Can you see it from here?"

"Kind of."

Phoebe looked out at Kuo Kuana and tried to look for Blake's house as Sun and her were guessing.

"Is it that one?"

"What about that tiny one down there?"

"I like the paint job."

Then, Blake held onto his arm and began pointing it directly at the one in the very bottom of the hill. It was a very large, multilevel house with wooden siding and brown roof tiles, seen at the end of the main road going through Kuo Kuana. The road lead over a hill that revealed a wide view of the surrounding houses and the house separated by trees. It also had a large forecourt in front that captivated Phoebe's eyes.

"It's... _that _one.""

Sun turned back to Blake for confirmation, receiving her nod as an answer. His mind blown, Sun squealed lightly as Phoebe did the same in excitement.

* * *

When they got to the mansion, Blake reached her hand for the knocker before she hesitated a moment. It was a long time since she'd last seen them. It was almost jarring just to stand in their front porch to her. Sun and Phoebe noticed her hesitation and grew worried.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you okay?"

"I, um... it's just been a long time since I've seen my parents."

"Well, we came all this way."

"Uh-huh."

Taking heed of their words of encouragement, Blake sighed before she tapped the knocker on the door, making a loud bang, causing Sun and Phoebe to jump up a bit.

"Okay, if we're being honest, that's kinda intimidating."

The door opened to reveal a woman with cat ears in her head and yellow eyes. She was a cat Faunus with black hair and yellow eyes that shared several physical features with Blake, although her ears were noticeably larger in size and had more fur details. She had short raven hair and three gold piercings on her cat ears - two on her right, and one on her left. She also wore a black hakama and sandals with white tabi socks. Over her outfit, she wore a black shrug with a long right sleeve and a short left sleeve with a gold-leaf trim adorning the opening on the front. She wore long, black arm warmers that extend to the middle finger. The left warmer had a purple band tied around the top and a pair of gold bangles around the wrist. Around her waist is a black and gold sash that trailed behind her, with a gold flower-shaped buckle at the end. Needless to say, she stood in complete surprise, not expecting to see what seemed to be a familiar face for her.

"Blake?"

Blake's ears dropped down as she raised her hand nervously.

"Hi, Mom."

Taking in this cherished moment, her mother walked over to her and hugged her.

"Oh, my baby girl."

Overwhelmed by this precious moment, Blake returned the hug as she smiled and closed her eyes just as another voice came from inside.

"Kali, who is it?"

Just then, a tall, muscular Faunus with black hair, a thick beard, and yellow eyes arrived. For his top, he wore an open dark-violet coat with white fur trim, exposing a patch of black fur on his chest. Over his beige pants was a matching sash that wrapped around his waist and is secured with a large, silver metal buckle. On the shoulder of his coat is a silver metal spaulder, which through a pair of curved strips across the chest attached as a clasp on the opposite front panel of the coat. The white toes of his black leather boots had a shape reminiscent of paws with claws at the tips. His physique is in general quite hairy, as what little can be seen of his bare arms and the backs of his wrists are shown to be covered in thick, black fur. He also noticed Blake and put on a similar look of surprise upon seeing her. Then, he smiled in joy and relief, knowing his daughter came back home.

* * *

Later, Kali, Blake, the father, now revealed as Ghira in conversation, Phoebe, and Sun sat at the table on their mats in the dining room while Kali gave their situation to the group. As she did, Phoebe looked deep into her tea before taking a light sip out of it, taking in the sights around her simultaneously. It was a large, circular room with only a small, low-sitting square table in the center. There were four mats for seats, with Phoebe sitting in Blake's lap. The walls were a cream-colored plaster. The center of the floor was a marbled cream color, with a marbled white ring around it, and the outermost ring was a warm, dark brown. There are marbled green pillars situated around the room on the floor's white ring. In the walls around the room were windows of varying sizes and shapes, some above the floor and some starting at the floor, with wooden frames. There also appeared to be leafy plants hanging from the ceiling, which had a circular skylight.

"We were horrified when we heard the news. The Kingdom of Vale wasn't perfect, but it certainly didn't deserve what happened. We were both so worried."

Ghira chuckled a bit in an attempt to disprove the situation.

"Please, I knew she'd be fine!"

Kali gave him a scoff as she recalled differently.

"That isn't the slightest bit true. You should've seen him pacing."

Phoebe gave a light giggle at that as Ghira made a frown from Kali's comment. Sun used the opportunity to reassure them.

"You guys have nothing to worry about. I've seen your daughter in action before! And trust me, she's got the moves!"

As Blake widened her eyes from hearing that out of Sun, Phoebe took notice and became confused on the context.

"What does that mean?"

Sun's eyes shot up in shock and nervousness. He hadn't explained that to a kid before, and he didn't plan on explaining the context to her, especially not in front of Blake's parents. With that, he tried to let her in on the meaning of it without offending Blake or her parents.

"I, uh... well, you see, it's just that... you know, she's a good fighter and all. And as a fellow fighter, I have a lot of respect for her."

As he proceeded to explain with Phoebe taking interest in his explanation, Kali moved closer to her daughter.

"Why is he here again?"

"He just kind of followed me home."

"I see..."

Kali then looked to Phoebe as she listened to every word that came out of Sun's mouth.

"And her?"

"She told me that she ran away from home."

"Hmm. Doesn't that sound like anyone familiar?"

Kali meant to use it as a friendly gesture. But Blake still hadn't moved on from that yet.

"Please don't remind me..."

At that point, Sun was just finishing up on his rambling.

"She's definitely above average! I mean, uh..."

Blake gave Sun a stern look while Kali looked at him in confusion while Ghira looked at him with disapproval. Phoebe, on the other hand, found him funny as she made a light giggle before Sun used his tail to pickup the train kettle and pour himself a new cup before he complimented the flavor.

"This tea is really good."

Sun took a quick sip and made a nervous smile for a moment before Kali leaned towards Blake and gave a whisper, making Blake's ears droop in embarrassment.

"I like him."

"Mom!"

Just then, they heard a loud bang from outside. It caught the whole group's attention, especially Phoebe who backed away closer to Blake in response before Ghira groaned to himself with Kali looking to him.

"Darn it, I completely forgot about the meeting!"

"Ghira..."

"Give me a moment."

As Ghira walked to the door, Kali turned to Blake and the others as her daughter grew concerned.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, dear, just poor timing. He can reschedule. It's just been hard dealing with them lately."

Kali began to take a sip from her cup as Blake began to get curious.

"Dealing with who?"

"Mm? The White Fang."

That made Blake and Sun stand up in utter shock as they shouted at the exact same time.

"What?!"

Phoebe looked up to the two of them in worry. From the look of them, it sounded like they'd be in danger. And she didn't much like that.

"Is something wrong?"

Sun was quick to answer her, knowing full well how dangerous they were.

"Oh, you bet something's wrong!"

At the door, Ghira was confronting the two members before Blake, Sun, and Phoebe arrived, albeit with the little girl behind Blake.

"Dad!"

"Blake, what's wrong?"

The two members were dressed in white robes with red hoods, and both look virtually the same barring their height and Faunus trait. The tallest of the two had a corsac fox tail, whereas the smallest had fennec fox ears. The tallest spoke first before the other as they bowed to the group in front of them in reverence.

"Miss Belladonna."

"We had no idea you returned."

Blake looked to her father, instantly demanding answers. She hadn't counted on the White Fang being on the island already, let alone with her father working with them.

"What are you doing talking to these people?"

"This is Corsac and Fennec Albain. They represent the White Fang in Menagerie now."

Sun wasn't too thrilled about that. He wasn't expecting them so soon, either.

"Those psychos are here, too?!"

"Young man, I'm not sure of what you've heard of our organization, but I can assure you were not nearly as ferocious as the media would have you believe."

Blake felt those words to be blasphemous. She knew for herself what they were capable of. And she didn't need Adam's attack on her to prove it.

"What we've heard? We've seen firsthand! Your fanatics slaughtered people! Even little children like her!"

As Phoebe peeped out from behind Blake's leg, the Albains became greatly surprised to see her as well. Seeing their surprise, Ghira tried to get to the bottom of the situation.

"What is she talking about?"

After a moment, the surprise wore off before they regained their enigmatic countenance.

"Precisely what we came to discuss with you, your grace."

While Blake glared at the Albains, holding Phoebe closer to her, it wasn't long before Kali came to the door and wanted to know the situation.

"Is everything all right?"

Sun immediately grew angry at this.

"Wait, you guys seriously don't know?!"

Ghira wanted to know for sure as well, turning to his daughter for the answer.

"Know what?"

"The White Fang was at the Fall of Beacon. They attacked innocent civilians and they released Grimm into the school."

Ghira turned to Corsac and Fennec, shook by her daughter's words. However, those words aren't too much of a stranger to him.

"Is this true?"

"Sadly, your grace, it is."

Blake glared at Fennec with absolute venom and began to shout at him, only for Ghira to stop her.

"Don't act like—!"

"That's enough! Explain yourselves."

The brothers turned to each other before Corsac spoke first.

"Though it pains us to admit, it has become apparent that the Vale branch of the White Fang is no longer operating under the orders of High Leader Khan. Rather, they've elected to follow the rule of one Adam Taurus. I believe you're all familiar with the young adept and his... extreme philosophies."

Phoebe made a light gasp from hearing that name as Sun countered their words.

"You know, Beacon wasn't the first time the Fang started shooting up Vale!"

Fennec took the liberty of continuing the news next.

"The High Council had their suspicions of a splinter group, but they could prove nothing until this latest incident."

Blake was offended to hear the event known as the Fall of Beacon to be written off as just an incident.

"Incident?! People are dead!"

The Albains looked down in shame as Corsac spoke prior to his younger brother.

"And it is a tragedy."

"Your grace, we came to assure you that Brother Taurus and his followers do not represent the will of White Fang."

Ghira looked to the brothers and felt skeptical, considering Blake witnessed their cruel actions toward humans. With Phoebe being timid around them, he had his doubts.

"And how can we be sure of that?"

"We understand if you bear any skepticism towards these claims. The White Fang's tactics are admittedly more aggressive since you stepped down as High Leader and became Chieftain of Menagerie. But this... this is no way to make our message heard."

Phoebe cautiously peeped her body slightly farther away from Blake's leg as she inquired to them with Fennec addressing her.

"It isn't?"

"Of course not, young one. What we desire is to unite the humans and the Faunus under a mutually peaceful agreement. As we're sure you do, too."

Phoebe made a light gasp before Fennec looked back to Ghira.

"We have ample documentation from the council meeting as well as several strategies to apprehend and punish these strays if you'd care to review them."

Ghira kept his gaze on the brothers as he gave them his answer.

"I will. But another day. I'd like some time to reconnect with my daughter."

The Albains each took a bow in respect Ghira as they spoke their answer.

"But of course, your grace."

"We completely understand. It was a pleasure to see you again, young Blake."

Corsac and Fennec looked to the little girl next as the former spoke still softly in his tone.

"And it was a pleasure to see you as well, young child."

Phoebe stepped a little away from Blake's leg before she spoke cautiously.

"It's Phoebe."

One of Fennec's ears twitched from seeing her attire. He took notice of the symbol of gears along with a staff in the middle of them embedded in her left sleeve of her jacket before he made a guess.

"Ah, yes. One who hails from Atlas, I assume?"

Phoebe shook her head as she corrected him.

"Uh, from Mantle, actually."

"Oh, right. My apologies. It must've been colder down there than from above. Or so Sister Ilia would say. Perhaps you'd be interested to meet her sometime."

Phoebe became intrigued that they'd offer her a chance to meet one of their own. However, Blake stepped closer to them with a glare as she spoke in defense for her.

"She's not going anywhere with you."

Corsac and Fennec looked back towards Blake before they attempted to reassure her.

"You have nothing to fear for her, young Blake. We know by now that she's not like the other humans who consider themselves superior."

"But that being said, we understand your wishes entirely."

"We were saddened when we heard of your departure from the White Fang but understand if you can no longer support our cause."

"It is a wearying fight, after all."

Blake continued to glare at them as she spoke with a determined tone in her voice.

"Who says I'm done fighting?"

Corsac and Fennec looked to each other before they turned to Blake.

"Hmm... If you ever do wish to return, you need merely to come find us."

"Sister Illia would be elated. Especially to see a young girl from Mantle who held the Faunus in the highest regards."

Then, as Phoebe felt somewhat soothed by their words, Ghira stepped up to close the doors.

"Goodbye, gentleman."

When he closed them, Ghira turned to see Blake walking away from the doors, dragging Phoebe with her. And she was clearly flustered about the presence of the White Fang there. In her mood, Blake was unaware that Phoebe looked back to Ghira, Kali, and Sun as the monkey Faunus spoke to them.

"So... those guys were creepy."

Ghira looked to him in disapproval before speaking.

"I really don't like you."

* * *

Outside, Corsac and Fennec stepped downward from the forecourt. It was well enough a surprise to see that Blake had come back to Menagerie, but to see a human girl there as well... And one who hailed from Mantle, no less. Fennec looked to his brother as he spoke in intrigue.

"An interesting development, wouldn't you say?"

"Interesting, Indeed."

"So, shall we inform Brother Adam?"

"We shall."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the tower, Rachel was in a look of shock. She'd just caught up on everything the book had to tell her. What she read from there wasn't anywhere closer to a happy ending. She had been warned, though. It really wasn't a fairytale. Nonetheless, Rachel kept reading to the last page of the chapter.

"And with that... the noble hero was broken. Stuck in a constant struggle between light and darkness. A battle that will never end."

Rachel then closed the book and set it beside her on the bed, shaken from the ending that was in no way satisfactory. All she could do was give a sigh as she held her hand to her forehead to contemplate its meaning. When she tried, though, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"So, did you look through the book?"

Rachel made a light gasp before turning behind her to see Helper. Rachel didn't rightly know for how long she'd been reading, nor did she know how long he stood there. But all the same, that was hardly the most concerning question she had on her mind.

"Yes. I finished the fifth chapter, but I'm still reading it over."

"Wow, no quick skim for you, huh?"

"I just prefer to be thorough is all."

Rachel then held her hands together as she inquired to Helper of the elephant in the room.

"Helper, is it true what this chapter says? That she can't die?"

Helper regarded what she was talking about, speaking as if it was no big deal.

"Oh, yeah, that. Bummer, huh?"

Rachel held her head down in sadness as she spoke in agreement.

"Yeah."

Noticing her dismal countenance, Helper walked up to her, reaching into his pocket to get out a dandelion before holding it in front of her.

"This world is full of light. It's a world connected by vast kingdoms, stretching as far as the eye can see. Four great relics protect us all throughout those vast kingdoms. They all share one light, one fate."

Rachel, having read up to the hero's unfortunate fate, realized what he was talking about.

"You mean the relics?"

"Yep! You're right on the money. Most of the world has no idea what they are, let alone that they exist. Those that do think they'll be safe forever with them. But if they were brought together by the wrong person, at the wrong time, the world would be reset all over again. And this time, I'm afraid humanity won't make a reappearance if that happens."

Rachel made a light gasp, afraid of that terrible outcome. However, being erased from existence was a possibility she was aware of from the book. And it didn't make her feel any better for him to reiterate it.

"I know. But why would the God of Light let her use those relics to destroy us? He knows it's his fault for the way she is. If he created them to inspire us to unite humanity, then shouldn't we use them for that purpose?"

Helper shook his head before he corrected her.

"No, they're not for protecting humanity. And the God of Light didn't make them, either."

Rachel was caught off-guard. Even with the careful reading she did, she believed that the God of Light had created the relics. Could she have gotten it all wrong?

"He didn't? Then, who did?"

"Not important. Yet... But what is important is this."

Helper began to make a tone that suggested he was able to say something she wouldn't like but he had to say it, and did so with a squeaky voice at first before it descended an octave.

"And you're probably gonna hate me for spoiling it for you, but the final passage reads, 'On that fated land, a Great War shall transpire. Darkness will prevail, and light expire.'"

Rachel made a light gasp, clearly not ready to accept that outcome. That would mean Salem had won. That would mean her revenge is complete. And above all, that would mean humanity will never exist again. Rachel would be completely robbed of every experience she had yet to achieve. She couldn't accept that world.

"But... isn't it why the Relics were created? To prevent that future from happening?"

"Nah, not possible."

Rachel refused to believe that. Her hands tensed in a bit of anger as she spoke in a mutter.

"But that's not fair...! That's not fair!"

Helper was caught off-guard by her outburst, holding his hands on his head.

"Geez! At least warn me before you blast my eardrums off!"

Rachel felt a bit embarrassed. But she wasn't willing to accept that future all the same.

"I'm sorry. But I can't just let that happen. What about those who are here now? And the ones who'll be here when the end comes? I can't just abandon all of them."

Helper leaned closer to her, perplexing her as he spoke with an inquisitive tone.

"You really think you can change the future?"

Rachel was still for a moment, but she recalled what he'd said to her before. The timeline has changed. There's no point in doing nothing with that knowledge.

"You said it yourself. The timeline has changed. And if that's true... I might as well change with it."

Helper backed away from Rachel before he crossed his arms.

"Well, if you want to give it a shot..."

Rachel didn't hesitate to nod as she replied.

"I do."

Helper placed his hand on her shoulder before he spoke with an endearing tone in his voice.

"Okay. If that's how you want it, then keep reading. You'll find something sooner or later."

Rachel looked back to the book she set aside, confused over his meaning. She knew there were other chapters after what she'd read. But what more could they have to offer if the end is inevitable? Unless... maybe there could be something to help her stop the end. While Rachel considered this, Helper spoke again to her.

"So, same time tomorrow? I'll bring something this time."

Rachel looked back to him, not sure what to make of him just yet. He didn't appear to be friend or foe for the time being, but all the same, he's quite mysterious.

"Uh... I guess. I don't know if mother's okay with it, though..."

"Alrighty. Good luck."

Helper began walking out the door before he stopped and turned back to her, reacting as if he'd nearly neglected something.

"Oh! A couple of things. Maybe work on your levitation magic the next time you practice."

Rachel didn't know what possible use she could have for that, but she gave him a nod nonetheless.

"Okay."

"And about the book, you're free to recommend it to your mom. But, you have to deal with the consequences that come after."

Hearing his stern tone concerning the book, Rachel became admittedly nervous to hear that. The way he said it sounded ominous, as if something terrible would happen if she told the truth.

"So, you're saying... I shouldn't tell her?"

"Hey, you said it. Not me. It could be a good thing or a bad thing. That's what consequences are. They're either the result or effect of an action or condition. Or they could be something of importance or relevance to your family."

Rachel felt it to be bizarre as she was about to speak before Helper cut her off.

"And no, I didn't get that from a dictionary."

Rachel blinked her eyes in confusion from hearing him say that to her.

"Huh?"

"Anyway, good luck."

Rachel only looked on as Helper walked out of her room and listened to the fading footsteps as he descended down the stairs. When she couldn't hear any more out of him, Rachel spoke to herself.

"What an odd man."

Rachel turned back to the book before picking it up and opening it up to see the next chapter just in front of her after the hero's fall. It was entitled:

"Volume 6. The Dawn of the Future."

Rachel's eyes widened in intrigue from seeing that word. It instantly made her remember what Helper asked her.

"_You really think you can change the future?"_

It made her a bit anxious to get to that part so soon. Especially with the lengthy chapters she's read before. But she remembered something else he said about it. When Helper first gave it to her, he said the story was still going on. Maybe there was more to it than he let on. And if that's the case, how would her mother process it when she could barely do it?

She always had to be honest when asked a question. It was one of the main rules at the house. Trying otherwise wouldn't be a good idea. Maybe she could trust her with that knowledge. She did always keep her safe all this time; might be the least she could do. But first, she had to read what she can from this chapter before then. Rachel gave herself a deep breath before she spoke in determination.

"This story can't end this way. No matter what..."

Rachel held her hands tightly on the pages held alongside the book's cover as Rachel stared at the words in front of her.

"I won't let it."

**A/N: Hello. :) What did you think of the chapter? Feel free to let me know and send constructive criticism in the reviews and/or P.M.'s. Although, I should tell you that it occurred to me that I neglected to tell you the voice Bartek. He is portrayed by James Patrick Stuart. And as for Phoebe, she alludes to the Little Match Girl and will be portrayed by Lara Woodhull. Also, I've noticed some personal criticism against the God of Light being the creator of the relics. And from that criticism, I found an intriguing theory. I won't say what it is for now, but you can bet it will make Rachel's role crystal clear later on in the story, as well as improve upon it. You're free to guess, but please let me know in P.M.'s so that others won't be spoiled. On top of that, you'll be happy to know that a lemon will appear in the next volume. :) Also, Volume 8 has already proven itself to be a heavy hitter so far. I am extremely worried for what can happen, especially to Nora and Ren. Let's hope nothing bad happens to them…**


	9. Final Goal

**A/N: Hello. :) Here is the next chapter of my rewrite. I was able to get a good look at Cinder's backstory. And overall, I have to say I'm impressed with the direction they went with it, though my only gripe about it is that should've been expanded on more. How it should've been expanded on, I won't say much of it. But on the bright side, it gave me a better picture of how to show Cinder's backstory. And if you're worried it's exactly the same, don't be. While most of it is like the original, there will be some key differences that will tie her past in with Preston's. We'll get more into that in the next chapter. Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)**

**Chapter 8: **Final Goal

_All alone in a lit area with a wooden floor, a young woman was scrubbing the floor. She had pigtails on her raven hair, as well as a white dress with a black apron and a red sash in the belt of her black pants. She kept a slow and consistent motion. And more than that, she had a saddened look on her face. Her line of work surely had to be a misery._

_A lot could've happened to the poor girl for her to be this way. But no one could say for certain. As far as they were concerned, she was just another worker. They didn't know if making an effort to speak to her would make things better or worse, so they dared not chance it. To the snobs of Atlas, however, she may as well be worth spit, if not less. Her lack of support from her so-called friends who left her to do all the work proved it. But little did they all know how much they'd regret it in the far future. For now, though, she still scrubbed, slowly and surely..._

Outside Salem's castle, Cinder's Grimm arm was scratching the other in that same slow and consistent motion. The sharp nails were digging through the skin, slowly releasing her blood from the scratches she'd made on her wrist. It's as if that motion was embedded into her mind from constant experience. She was sitting just out on the edge of the hill near the castle entrance, looking out towards the colony of Grimmites (the beings Merlot aptly named to describe the evolution of humanity and Grimm alike) that settled quickly under the blood red sky with a distrustful look. As if four kingdoms wasn't enough... But, with a group of subhumans who were simply content to live amongst Grimm and to follow Salem's rule, she supposed it could be worse: she'd be back in Mantle.

Though it was a great contrast, seeing a sight like this reminded her all too well of that city. It was always constantly under Atlas' shadow. Literally. By consequence of Atlas using dust crystals to keep it afloat (or so the story goes anyway), it always looked down on the people who needed their help. Not that they were ever given help. Cinder would know about that. Before she could think any more on that, and she hated thinking of it, Raider stepped out to meet her.

Thanks to her influence, he'd made a decent recovery from his formerly berserk state, though his burned right eye with (which regained most of its humanity from the Grimm side that once overwhelmed him despite the discoloration that made it appear blank) and his own Grimm arm (a right arm with red streaks across the black frame that was more brutish than Cinder's) refused to be hidden. His outfit, where once he was stripped bare apart from his briefs, now comprised of a red and grey shirt with dark blue pants, dark silver knee pads, dark silver shoulder pads, and a tattered black cape with a symbol of a King Taijitu's heads glaring to each other with their fangs bared and with blackened eyes behind him with the addition of a scabbard near his belt that held a black and orange lined sword. On top of that, he also had a silver collar with a yellow crystal around his neck. He was eventually given the all-clear and was tasked by Salem to help in her recovery. She considered it beneficial for both of them to be trained by Dexus. They were two sides of the same coin, she said. But Raider had a hard time believing that given her demeanor. Even so, he couldn't refuse that; that was the only time Cinder connected with him. The only time anyone ever connected with him.

"Hey, Cinder."

Cinder gave a sigh his way, though she personally couldn't distinguish if it was annoyance for him interrupting her or relief for him stopping her from thinking about the past she'd rather forget.

"Yes?"

Raider could tell right away from her passive tone that she didn't seem happy. After all, he was told a great deal had happened to her at the Fall of Beacon. She was within mere inches from getting the power she wanted, but then Ruby stepped in and viciously attacked her, making her damaged in the process. Frankly, he was surprised she didn't end up as berserk as he was by now, if she hasn't already. Regardless, he still had to bring her back inside.

"Dexus is waiting for us both in the arena. He wanted us both in by now."

Cinder only stood up as she continued her gaze towards the bizarre civilization below her.

"Sure. Give me a minute."

Admittedly annoyed at Cinder's continually passive tone, Raider went up closer to her before taking notice of what she was focused on. She was overlooking dozens upon dozens of Merlot's Grimmites acting like people. While looking at them down below himself, Raider took notice of several Grimm coming by the Grimmites. Instead of lashing out at them, they are welcomed. Some instances, he also noticed a young Grimmite girl riding on top of a Beowolf like it was a horse. The Beowolf had no opinion whatever of it. And that was what baffled him; it's simply not in its nature to let anyone ride on its back, yet here it was. Raider thought he understood why Cinder was outside when he turned to her.

"Let me guess. Adoring the public?"

Cinder only gave him a scoff as she made a small retorsion.

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

Raider gave her a stern look, beginning to have quite enough of Cinder's tone. He began to speak in that same manner himself.

"Then why did you...?"

Cinder's eyes widened from hearing this as she made a light gasp. She didn't know why, but somehow, his words made her hesitate to answer back quickly at first. Then, she turned back to him.

"What was that?"

Raider turned his face away from Cinder before he headed back to the door.

"Never mind. Just don't keep Dexus waiting."

Raider began walking back inside to the castle, leaving Cinder by herself once again. She looked back out towards the Grimmites, focusing more so on a small family. It was bizarre to see Salem lookalikes in this way, what with the matching white hair, bleached skin, and red eyes, but she digressed. The mother and father were showing a young girl a Beowolf puppy. She even held it closer to her chest with a smile as she spoke gleefully.

"This is the best thing ever!"

Cinder couldn't help but envy her. To think that three months ago, Merlot used his concentrated formula from the black pool of Grimm to transform humans into Grimmites. Now, the pool itself is used to create a new species and a kingdom all at once. And already, they've begun to flourish. That child, human or not, was lucky enough to have a family who loved her. If only she had something like this much sooner... Cinder unconsciously held her Grimm arm to her chest as she then clenched her fingers together.

* * *

_**Play Grimm Eclipse Music: "Emerald Forest Ambiance"**_

Meanwhile, in the forests of Mistral, Pyrrha was holding her hand over her chest as well, only her eyes were closed. And she still continued her trek along the road in front of her as she'd always done for practically a long time now. Though, as previously stated, Pyrrha wasn't alone like she appeared to be. Like it or not, she had someone else to talk to inside her head. And that was the Fall Maiden.

Pyrrha had gotten to know quite a lot about her those past few months. For starters, her name was Amber Autumn. Just like her, she was a Huntress, "was" being an operative term. And it wasn't just in regards to her passing. Since she became the Fall Maiden, she had to be on her own to avoid the risk of her power being abused, not that it did any good with Cinder involved, but that was beside the point.

In some ways, Amber reminded her of Ruby, and other times, it was you-know-who. For Ruby's case, it was her purity and naivety, demonstrated once before when she stopped to help a hurt child, only to find it was a fake. And then there's the resemblance of the drive to kill, which was primarily seen from Cinder, and equally unfortunately, most recently, Ruby. When she was backed to a corner, before she was beaten, Amber was ready to kill Emerald before being blindsided. Though, in hindsight, Amber had to admit she should've been more careful. If she had, things would've been different. Amber would still be by herself, Beacon wouldn't have fallen, and Pyrrha wouldn't be stuck with her the way she was. But even if they were true, Amber knew that blaming herself wouldn't change what happened.

The sad truth is, they both had to take the hand they're dealt with. And so far, of all they could've gotten, that hand was the worst. Although, being a wandering Maiden did have its perks. All Pyrrha could do for the time being was admire everything around her, from the gentle breeze in the winds and the chirping of birds. If only she could've shared it all with Jaune... Before Pyrrha could dwell on that, Amber piped up in her head.

_"You're still thinking about him, aren't you?"_

Pyrrha simply rolled her eyes at the voice in her head as she retorted mentally.

"I think we both know that I haven't stopped thinking of him, Amber."

She hadn't forgotten that they shared the same body, so Amber could tell what and who she thought of. That part was a bit annoying. Be that as it may, Pyrrha's made time to think back to her, so as not to appear that she was talking to herself. Being alone was bad enough; she didn't want to end up being thought of as crazy. Pyrrha still kept her gaze on the road ahead as Amber continued.

_"Of course. After all, he was your knight in shining armor."_

Pyrrha's face blanched from Amber's comment. So much so, in fact, that she wasn't aware that she was speaking loudly.

"You mean you saw what Jaune and I were—?!"

Pyrrha quickly covered her mouth to keep from disturbing the quiet with her shocked tone. Amber laughed inside her head, almost in the way Ruby would've at Beacon.

_"Relax. I didn't have to look. But I can listen, you know."_

Pyrrha let out an exasperated sigh as she continued mentally with a guilty tone, suspecting that she must've been uncomfortable.

"Sorry..."

"_No, it's alright. You just didn't know before I spoke to you that first time. Besides, I'm not exactly new to one of your 'private times'. Still, I tried to give you as much space as I could, if it makes you feel any better."_

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile at Amber's thoughtfulness. It must've been attributed to her nicer side. Something she came to be thankful for.

"Thanks. It does make me feel a little better."

Pyrrha continued on the road with a smile. If Amber still had her body, she'd hold her hand the whole way. It wasn't long before Pyrrha took notice of a village in front of her. But as she got closer, something seemed off.

_**End Grimm Eclipse Music: "Emerald Forest Ambiance"**_

There wasn't any commotion audible enough for her to hear from there. The silence that lingered when she drew closer to it only made it worse. Sure enough, standing at the entrance, Pyrrha figured out why. There wasn't anyone around but herself to make noise. She was the only one inside the village. Amber didn't like it any more than she did, either.

_"This is... unsettling."_

Pyrrha looked around for signs of anybody around but herself. But there weren't any. On the other hand, there weren't any Grimm attacks, either. Seeing the setting in front of her, void of any people or Grimm, Pyrrha had a bizarre theory.

"I know. What could've made all those people leave?"

As Pyrrha looked around, though, she noticed a lot of the buildings around her were unfinished. On top of that, a stack of wood was set near the stairs beside her. Amber saw it all, too. And even she was perplexed by all of it.

_"Hard to say. I don't see any evidence of Grimm attacks so far... Still, can't be too careful. I learned it the hard way."_

Pyrrha nodded to Amber as she took notice of a sign in the exact middle of the village. It seemed to be covered in a vine. Judging from that small overgrowth, it was safe to assume it had been a long time since anyone came here in Anima. Pyrrha slowly parted the leaves away to see only one word written on the stone.

"Oniyuri? I haven't heard of that place."

_"Me neither. But it's safe to say whoever lived here didn't stick around long enough for it to be recognized by anyone else."_

"Yeah, that much I got. But... why did they all just leave?"

Before Amber could reply, they heard the cawing of a flock of crows coming up above them. Pyrrha looked at the crows as they flew by.

_"I don't know, and I'm not in the mood to find out. We should move on while we can."_

Pyrrha still felt uneasy about this, but she knew Amber had a point. If there was anyone to save or any Grimm to be wary of, she would've found either one by now. Beside that, her rations were running short, and there wasn't anything there to restock them.

"I think I'll take you up on that idea."

Pyrrha then began to walk past the sign and headed for the gate just in front of her. Before she could, though, she stopped just before she could cross it and looked back to the sign. For whatever reason, Pyrrha wanted to go back to it and leave something behind, but Amber's voice wouldn't let her.

_"Well, aren't we going?"_

Pyrrha took a deep sigh before she walked away and continued past the entrance. Hopefully, she could find another village that was more populated and had something there for her to eat. It was almost past noon, and she wouldn't know what to do after she eats the last of her rations of there weren't any left to restock. If she hasn't already, Pyrrha was beginning to wish that things were much simpler like they used to be...

* * *

_6 Months Ago_

_Beacon had fallen. There was much work to do to help it recover. The fact that so much chaos had happened all around didn't help. But it could be worse. If a Wyvern was still perched atop the tower, it would've meant an endless stream of Grimm constantly drawn to the people's' panic and fear from a Grimm bound to mobilize on them at any moment. Suspense would've been the catalyst that could've otherwise doomed Vale, or at the very least made it all the more difficult to clean up. But regardless, there was still work to be done, and even Glynda Goodwitch couldn't fix that all by herself._

_Many Huntsman and Huntresses-in-training chose to go back to their homes after such a massive scale of destruction, but a handful of them decided to stay and help in Vale's recovery. However, Team CFVY, had elected to go to Shade Academy in Vacuo to finish up on their training, much to Velvet's dismay. She never even got the chance to share her opinion, or at very least, nobody asked her what it was. The least Pyrrha could do was to give her a hug for the long journey to come. She never realized it would be something that Velvet would always remember, apart from the fact that she took a picture of her before departing, not that she minded it. That said, Pyrrha was concerned about what was best for her now._

_For her, it's not exactly the best option to go home after becoming the Fall Maiden. Cinder was still out there despite being overwhelmed by Ruby, much to the girl's chagrin. And even just helping Vale recover would put a target on her back, as much as she wanted to help. This was not how she saw her destiny going at all. And she hated every second of it, but for the sake of Vale, the sake of JNPR, RWBY, and all other Huntsmen and Huntresses, and most importantly, for Jaune's sake... she had to take the hand that's dealt to her. Before that, though, a proper farewell is in order._

_Pyrrha wanted to say goodbye before she had to leave everything and everyone she knew behind. And so, she orchestrated a small farewell party between herself and her teammates, who were oblivious about Pyrrha's role at the time, as well as her reason for leaving the team behind. She wanted to invite Team RWBY, but sadly, due to their differing circumstances, they were otherwise engaged. And of all the places to hold it, it was quite a surprise. Pyrrha chose to hold this farewell party at the Forest of Forever Fall. Though, one can assume it's more of a ceremony than a party. And to Nora, it was for good reason._

_"You call this a farewell party?! Where are all the decorations?!"_

_Pyrrha made a light laugh, enjoying her friend's bombastic behavior. It's part of what kept her going through the day._

_"The forest's fine the way it is, Nora. We don't need to change a thing."_

_Ren, however, wasn't blind to the risk it carried just by being inside._

_"And what about the fact that it's honeycombed with creatures of Grimm?"_

_Pyrrha turned her face to them with an almost dismal look as she spoke softly._

_"That's part of why we're here, Ren."_

_Nora saw the look on her face as well. She quickly assumed the worst, making a sad face before she spoke in worry._

_"You're... you're really depressed, aren't you?"_

_Pyrrha shook her head quickly. She was surprised how quickly she changed her mood. But after the Fall of Beacon, she supposed she can't blame her._

_"No, Nora. It's not that. I wanted to show you and Ren something. Something only I, Professor Goodwitch, and Jaune know..."_

_Just then, a loud roar of a Grimm came out from far away. Right on cue. As a rumbling came towards JNPR, Pyrrha turned to the sound and closed her eyes while Nora and Ren instinctively reached for their weapons, but Jaune stopped them._

_"At ease, guys."_

_Nora and Ren were both surprised as they spoke simultaneously to their leader._

_"What?!"_

_"Just stand back and keep watch."_

_Ren and Nora were quick to argue with him._

_"But a Grimm is coming right at us!"_

_"And I wanna smash it before it smashes Pyrrha!"_

_Jaune didn't lose his look of confidence as he turned towards Pyrrha before he spoke._

_"Trust me: she can handle it."_

_He wasn't wrong about that. Just as the Ursai burst through the trees, Pyrrha opened her eyes, now flaring an emerald fire from her irises before summoning a sword resembling Miló, only the colors were vastly different. Instead of a golden and red color, the exterior of the blade was Ash Black with red lighting at the edges of her weapon. The Ursai leapt at her, only for Pyrrha to run over towards the Grimm and make a quick slide underneath it before impaling it from its underbelly, making it go limp just as the Ursai landed on top of her. In fear of what could happen, Nora and Ren tried to go towards Pyrrha, but Jaune still held them at bay, knowing for a fact that she's not down yet. And he was right._

_In a moment later, the Grimm suddenly hoisted above Pyrrha, but not on its own. Pyrrha was holding it up with her weapon and her hand before it faded to black dust and scattered its ashes to the wind, leaving only Pyrrha to stand with her hand and the sword in the air before she put both of them down and turned to the rest of the team. Like she expected, Ren and Nora were more than surprised. The girl's mouth hung open while Ren showed a completely stupefied look. Sadly, that moment couldn't last either. Rumbling came from all sides, forcing the rest of the team to look around. That could only mean a new swarm of Grimm. Anticipating the common recurrence of Grimm, Pyrrha converted her sword into a rifle with a bright red flash. She took aim as the rustling got closer before a Beowolf emerges and ran at them._

_Pyrrha took her shot, firing a bullet at the Grimm before it pierced its body and disintegrated it in its resulting flame. Another Beowolf arrived just then, but it wasn't alone. Six more were by its side. Pyrrha let go of her rifle, allowing it to disappear in a flash before summoning her black and red shield with blades at their sides. The last time she used that trick, it wasn't enough to stop Cinder's arrow from piercing her ankle. But she should have no problem with Grimm, unless one of them was a sharpshooter._

_With that, Pyrrha hurtled here shield at the Grimm, instantly slicing them in half while maneuvering itself cautiously to avoid hitting the trees. The creatures have all turned to black dust by the time she got her shield back. Pyrrha gave herself this moment to take a deep breath before turning to her teammates. Like she imagined, they were more than surprised. Ren's face had a completely stupefied look while Nora's mouth hung open in awe. Jaune gave them a smirk as he broke the silence._

_"See? I told you so."_

_Nora broke the silence next, unable to contain her excitement over Pyrrha's new power._

_"WHAT WAS THAT?!"_

_Pyrrha made an almost disconsolate face as she replied._

_"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I need you to understand why I can't go with you guys..."_

_In a moments' time, Pyrrha and Jaune told their team everything. First to go was the fact that she'd been chosen to be the next Fall Maiden before the Fall of Beacon took place, but at the cost of her own soul. Jaune told them next about how she decided to take on Cinder to protect him and everyone else who could be her next victim. Then, Pyrrha told them about her battle in general, how Ruby was determined to kill Cinder for making the fall happen in the first place, and the end result. This was quite the shock to the two of them, especially Ruby's recent show of ruthlessness. Even Nora was shaken to her core._

_"Wow, Pyrrha. That's... heavy."_

_"Is that why you couldn't stay with us?"_

_Pyrrha read into his tone. She could tell that he didn't like the idea any more than she did._

_"Yes, Ren. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you all before. I was still trying to work out how, or— or even if I should..."_

_Jaune stepped up beside her before he reassured her._

_"It's fine, Pyrrha. None of that is on you."_

_Ren focused on the Goliath in the room as he spoke up. If her having half of the Fall Maiden's power was true, that'd mean one thing._

_"So, Cinder's still out there? How do we know she's not looking for you right now?"_

_Pyrrha could make a guess. Cinder was pretty badly damaged by her and Ruby's offensive, mostly in part of the latter's. But even then, there's no telling how fast she could recover._

_"It's all the more reason why I have to go. I don't want any of you to get hurt or... worse."_

_Nora walked up to Pyrrha with a determined look. She wasn't one to back away from a challenge, and even after the Fall, there's no changing that._

_"As if! If someone messes with one of us, they mess with all of us. That's how it's always been, hasn't it?"_

_Pyrrha felt touched for Nora to stay by her side, even after what she just told them. Needless to say, however, it only made her feel worse._

_"Look, guys, I appreciate that you're trying to help, but it's for the good of everyone."_

_Nora pointed out to her leader, hoping to change her mind._

_"Well, what does Jaune think about all this?"_

_Nora looked over to Jaune, hoping he'd convince her to stay, or even better, get him to say something about how much he came to care for her. He had a saddened and dismal look as Pyrrha replied to Nora's question._

_"It's like he said. I'm not one to back down from a challenge. I can't let anything stand in my way. Especially if... especially if you take a hit for me."_

_Jaune recalled those exact words. The last time he said those things, Pyrrha was devastated and she ended up heartbroken. Back then, it didn't make sense to him. But now, knowing the things he did, he began to feel just as sick to the stomach himself. He did hurt her after all... Jaune endeavored to make up for it as he tried to speak up._

_"Pyrrha..."_

_Pyrrha suspected that he was going to apologize to her for his words of encouragement. She could tell from the sad look on his face._

_"It's alright, Jaune. I know you meant well by what you said. And you're right."_

_"I know, but..."_

_Jaune tried the hardest he could to speak his mind. That was difficult enough to do without constantly being reminded of how he felt when he asked for Ruby and Weiss's help you save her. Nora and Ren saw his struggle, and Pyrrha wasn't any more blind to it than they were. Finally, after a moment, Jaune spoke up to Nora and Ren._

_"Nora, Ren... think you guys will be okay by yourselves?"_

_Nora was quick to read on that cue. She knew those two would be together, but she didn't imagine it'd be at a time like this. To her, it was all the better; they deserved it after what they've been through. She gave a gentle smile his way before she spoke._

_"Sure, Jaune. We can give you some privacy. But just don't hog her the whole time. Pyrrha's our friend, too."_

_Jaune nodded to her in understanding before he spoke softly._

_"Thanks, you guys."_

_Nora then looked over to Ren with a smirk._

_"And while they're doing that..."_

_Nora quickly took Ren by his hand and walked away from Pyrrha and Jaune by themselves as he exclaimed from her sudden pull._

_"Hey! But the meeting isn't adjourned!"_

_Nora only replied to him in a sultry sing-song voice._

_"It wasn't official..."_

_Pyrrha blinked her eyes in confusion before Jaune took a deep breath. Now that they have this moment alone, it'll be much easier to get it out of his chest. At least, it should be._

_"Anyway... about what I said that night. About you not letting anything stand in your way? I'm... I'm sorry I ever said that to you."_

_"Jaune... I already told you, it's okay."_

_"No, it's not!"_

_Jaune's sudden outburst made Pyrrha stagger a bit as she backed away. His hands were trembling as he struggled to speak to her._

_"It's my fault you went after Cinder in the first place! I realized that when I asked Ruby and Weiss to help you. And you're right, I just didn't know back. But that's still no excuse. I should've told you how I really felt from the beginning..."_

_Pyrrha's face began to blush. A part of her wanted to know what he thought of her while another was afraid to ask. Fortunately, the curiosity won out over that fear._

_"Uh... how did you feel about me?"_

**_Play Jeff Williams Music: "Forever Fall (Instrumental)"_**

_Jaune allowed himself a moment to calm down, turning away from Pyrrha and towards one of the trees before he answered._

_"It started... at the dance, I think. Something about you being alone just— it didn't sit right with me. I wanted to make you happy. Then, when I showed up in that dress, and I heard you laugh, it just... grew from there. I... I had no idea how to tell you this, but the Fall of Beacon just— just basically pushed that out of me, so..."_

_Jaune tried hard not to cry, but he found himself unable to stop. He then had to convert the strength he had left to keep his voice from breaking completely. Not one ounce of it was spared to stop the flow of tears on his face as he turned back to her._

_"I love you, Pyrrha."_

_Pyrrha's face widened in disbelief and surprise. She held her hands over her mouth as Jaune continued._

_"And I hate myself... SO MUCH for ever telling you the things I did last time we spoke like this. Maybe I meant well, but I don't care about that. Not if it means I don't ever get to see you again. Whether you're standing in front of me or otherwise, I— I can't imagine a world without you in it! I just can't..."_

_Jaune didn't hesitate to hug Pyrrha tightly. After what's happened, he never wanted to let go of her ever again. He sobbed on her shoulder, hoping that he wouldn't feel this way anymore once his tears are gone. Meanwhile, Pyrrha was beginning to tear up just as well. He'd finally said what she wanted to hear all this time. She didn't know what else to say to him as she hugged him back, other than..._

_"I love you, too, Jaune. And I don't want to imagine a world without you, either. That's why I have to go..."_

_Jaune gently moved away from her before putting his hands on her arms. Most of his tears were gone, but his voice was still recovering from his sobs._

_"But I don't want you to go... at least not by yourself. You're still here because Ruby helped you. Huntsmen and Huntresses have each other's backs all the time."_

_"Jaune, I'm flattered you'd bring Ruby up, but—"_

_"I wasn't saying she should go with you, Pyrrha."_

_Pyrrha looked to Jaune in confusion, not certain if he was saying what she thought he was._

_"What?"_

_"I'm just gonna come out and say it... I want you to be with me. And I want to be with you."_

_Jaune and Pyrrha stared at each other's faces with blushes before the latter made a small smile._

_"You... you really mean that?"_

_"Of course."_

_As much as Pyrrha enjoyed how close the two of them are now, she still had a job to do._

_"Jaune... I've already made up my—"_

_Before Pyrrha could finish, Jaune kissed Pyrrha in the lips. Back at Beacon, Pyrrha made the first move but this time, Jaune got the element of surprise. When they parted their lips, Pyrrha made a smile again as Jaune spoke._

_"That was for Beacon. That makes us even."_

_Pyrrha made a light giggle before she looked to Jaune again._

_"I think I can at least stay one more day."_

_The two of them leaned to kiss each other again as the red leaves fell from the trees._

**_End Jeff Williams Music: "Forever Fall (Instrumental)"_**

* * *

Once the leaf passed, the background changed to nighttime and in the forests of Mistral. Team RNJR was on the move again, having since departed from Higanbana. In the meantime, Ruby was still pondering what Bartek had told her. She couldn't get it out of her head since then. Those words have haunted her over and over again...

_"Your momma used to give me the same exact look!"_

Ruby's arms trembled as they held themselves together, crossing so tightly. She couldn't help but look back, beginning to consider talking to Bartek again as Nora sang a song of sorts while skipping.

"Just a few hundred miles to Mistral, just a few hundred to go! Who attacked Beacon? What were they after? That's what we wanna know!"

Ruby didn't pay any attention to Nora's singing. She was too focused on what Bartek had said to her. If her mom were still around, she could ask her how that guy knew her. More than that, though, she needed her advice about what she said to Yang before she left. As she pictured how miserable Yang must be for her snapping at her, Jaune noticed the look on her face. He suspected it was because of Bartek's words.

"You okay, Ruby? You sound... un-ruby-ishly quiet."

Ruby didn't answer as she turned back to the road ahead. After a moment of silence, Jaune spoke to her, trying to get her to open up.

"Are you still thinking about what that guy said about your... you know?"

Ruby only gave a sigh before she replied.

"I guess... I mean, nobody else ever wanted to talk about my mom on her birthday when I was a kid. So... how could he possibly know about her?"

Jaune put his arm around Ruby before walking with her.

"Well, I may not know what kind of family history you guys have, but if you need me, I'll be there."

Ruby gave Jaune a gentle smile as they walked along the road.

"Thanks, Jaune. It means a lot to me right now."

When Ren and Nora took notice of this, the latter made a playful smirk as she spoke.

"Oh, my! Looks like Jauney-boy's become a playa already! I wonder how Pyrrha's gonna feel about that..."

Jaune blushed profusely before he piped up at her embarrassedly.

"Nora! It's not like that! Besides, I already made out with Pyrrha..."

Upon hearing this, Ruby looked at Jaune with a blend of curiosity and eagerness as she made a light gasp.

"You made out with Pyrrha?! What was it like? Did she wanna do it again?! Give me all the good parts!"

Jaune was surprised to get that reaction out of Ruby as much as Ren was, but anything was better than her having to her sulky the whole way to Mistral. But he didn't quite know how to tell a story like that, especially to her. Nonetheless, she seemed interested. Anything was better than her being glum like she was not too long ago. Still, he wasn't sure here was the best place to tell it.

"Uh, maybe when we find a place to camp. Okay?"

Ruby gave him a deflated sigh before she spoke softly.

"Okay..."

With that, Team RNJR continued on the road as Jaune made a small blush, looking up to the night sky and the broken moon as he spoke to himself with a solemn look, thinking about the night they spent together.

"What gift did I give you, Pyrrha? I don't understand..."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Land of Darkness, Cinder and Raider were standing side-by-side in the arena. Dexus was in front of them, telling the two of them about the changes to their training while Mercury and Emerald looked on from the sidelines. Out of the two, she was the most puzzled, wondering what should be done to help expedite her recovery.

"I suppose you two are wondering why I've brought you here today. Well, it's simple. While there's no doubt Cinder has made fine strides in her recovery..."

Cinder made a small smirk as she nodded his way before Dexus turned to Raider.

"Raider's has a long way to go. And so, from here on out, Cinder will handle Raider's training personally."

This caught the both of them by surprise. Cinder believed in proving herself to be the strongest, if not the most powerful. And when it came to power plays, she wasn't in the mood to share the spotlight, let alone help anyone else with that. As for Raider, it was his first time sparring with her. He doesn't know what to expect out of her, but if Salem's word was to be believed, he can't imagine she'd show any mercy. Dexus took notice of their faces and continued to speak in spite of them. He was expecting their surprise.

"I'm sure you must be confused. But it's for good reason."

Clearly not a fan of this arrangement, especially not for his sake, Cinder wasn't afraid to share how she felt to Dexus.

"What reason is there for me to train this reject?"

Raider overheard Cinder's words and made a glancing scowl her way. Since he'd been recuperating, he'd developed a bizarre relationship with her. With how she acted towards him now, and keeping her story in mind, it was hard for him to decide whether to stick with her or to despise her. With that word, which was another in the long list of names he'd been called, Raider was leaning more on the despising side of the relationship. He didn't know what could possibly shift the wave the other direction this time.

"It's because you're ruthless, Cinder. You brought out the worst in Ruby by toying with her emotions, and it nearly claimed your life. Who knows? Perhaps Raider could find some form of strength the same way. One that he can properly master instead of wasting it by lashing out at his cage."

Emerald overheard Dexus' strategy. She can't deny the merits of the plan, but the girl knew the risks all too well. When she found Cinder almost beyond repair from Beacon, she was shaken to her core. She stayed by her side until she could move again. If that situation happened again, she wouldn't know what to do...

"About that, sir... what if Raider goes too far? Won't he kill her?"

Dexus dug into his pocket and got out a little switch with a yellow crystal-shaped button as he answered her.

"I thought of that already, Emerald. Were that to happen, I can control him using a remote device which pumps a bolt of electricity through his body."

Cinder took notice of that collar around Raider. She hadn't noticed that when she spoke to Raider last, though to be fair, she wasn't looking that closely to him. But when she did, her only good eye widened in shock. "Shock" being the operative term.

Her mind began to receive terrible flashbacks of her own treatment as her former countess spoke callously to her.

"Now that wasn't very ladylike, was it? I suggest you remember your place."

Cinder's blood was practically chilled at not only the sight of that wretched collar, but also by how indifferent Raider seemed to be with this.

"It's not a strong current, but it allows me to reign him in when he acts out."

Cinder looked back and forth from his collar to Dexus, almost with a look of fear she'd used before while working for her late stepmother. She couldn't understand it. After what she went through, Cinder should've gave it nothing more than a glance. Yet somehow, it still unnerved her more than anything. She supposed it's true what they say: the past never forgets. Cinder turned towards Dexus before she voiced her opinion.

"Alright. I'll train him. But on one condition: that collar is not to be within my sight."

Dexus looked back to Cinder with a confused glance and a raised eyebrow. She sounded as though she was still recovering when she sounded just fine the day before. He supposed he must've touched a sensitive subject around her. Dexus looked from Raider's collar to Cinder's neck where a part of her scar was shown around it. He was sure he figured out why as he spoke to her.

"I'm afraid I can't accept that. You saw how he was when you first met. If raw, unbridled power was allowed to run loose, it'd be chaos. We all know this by now."

Cinder tensed her Grimm arm as she glared at Dexus.

"Isn't chaos what Her Grace had in mind? Atlas and Ruby _both_ deserve that much."

Dexus began to step closer to her with a fierce glare as he spoke.

"Perhaps, but for all we know, Raider could attack Salem himself in his fury if we give him the opportunity."

Cinder began to interject as she stepped closer to him as well.

"Salem won't have to worry about that. We know what she can do."

"That's not the point, Cinder. The point is he's not as well-trained like you. He hasn't learned to hone his rage, and you're still learning how to do that yourself, too. We can't let you train him at the risk of slaughtering the Fall Maiden."

"He knows better! Without me, he's nothing!"

"He may be in your debt, but you don't know anything about him! Or your assets, for that matter!"

Cinder's temper grew worse, her heartbeat increasing to an almost fatal level with the parasite inside her ready to react.

"I know he'd still be lashing out at that cage if it wasn't for me!"

"Don't fool yourself, Cinder! You're nothing without us!"

Cinder stepped back, aghast by what Dexus had just told her. Emerald took notice of that and bore a concerned look while Mercury made a satisfied smirk. As far as he was concerned, she was getting a much-needed reality check. Raider looked back to the two, pondering their individual reactions before looking towards Dexus as he continued.

"Just because you possess the Fall Maiden's power, even a small portion of it, it doesn't make you any more important than the rest, Cinder. Remember that before you run your mouth with your delusions of grandeur. Your last teacher made the mistake of filling your head with such things, but I won't. You deserve better than that."

Cinder glared at him even worse, her Grimm arm tensing itself before remembering what such a temper did to her at Beacon. Not willing to let history repeat itself, she gave herself a deep breath as she felt her heart slow itself in the pace while Dexus spoke again.

"Starting tomorrow, you're going to train him _with_ his collar, whether you like it or not. It's for both of your own good."

Dexus then turned and walked out of the arena, leaving Cinder to glare at him while Raider looked on, still percolating in his mind about what was going on around him. While he detested the fact that he's still thought of as a monster, he wasn't wrong. Even now, Raider was trying to keep his temper in check just to avoid lashing out and receiving a painful shock in the process. He'd already felt it before, and he didn't like the sensation one bit. But he knew that if it came down to it, it'd be necessary. He just wished it wouldn't portray him as a monster as often as it did. But he could suppose even they had feelings, too. And apparently, that was just as true for Cinder.

He didn't show it, but he saw her look of fear through her peripheral vision. He wondered if it meant she was scared of him or of the collar. Raider did a mental process of elimination, deducing that if the former option was true, she'd have shown it much earlier. Hers was a look of slight fascination when she first laid eyes on him, as far as he could understand. That left the collar; what was it about the collar that frightened her so? Raider would've asked himself, but her mood wasn't right for it. He tucked the question away in his mind, waiting for the right moment to ask...

* * *

Back at the forests of Mistral, Ruby, Nora, Ren, and Jaune were in their sleeping bags, getting ready for the night. Jaune was personally getting settled into his own sleeping bag for the night. As important as it was for him to train, he'd also been told to do so every other day, so he can be able to relax.

"Alright. That feels just about right. Let's hope things will be better tomorrow."

Jaune looked back to his teammates, seeing that Nora was already fast asleep, practically snoring while Ren was covering his ears until later when he could tune it out. Even with the time they spent, he still wasn't used to her snoring. Jaune sighed at them before Ruby cleared her throat. He looked to see her expectant glare before she spoke.

"You still owe me a story."

Jaune looked at Ruby in confusion.

"Seriously? You're into that?"

"Uh-huh. That's how we make babies."

Jaune blushed profusely in shock as he exclaimed before he spoke.

"How the heck do you know that?!"

"Uncle Qrow told—"

Before Ruby could finish, she remembered her last conversation with her uncle. She put on a dismal face before Jaune sighed. He didn't forget how interested Ruby suddenly was about how he made out with Pyrrha, especially the "good parts". He didn't quite know how to explain it, but he had no choice, especially if it meant she could be happy, at least for a while. Jaune took a moment for himself before he spoke.

"Alright. But I find it hard to believe how you're still okay with all that."

Ruby gave him a shrug of her shoulders, wondering the same thing herself. It didn't seem like that much of a mystery to her. That said, Jaune reluctantly began to tell his story.

"Okay. Well... it's after the Fall of Beacon, obviously. Our team was doing a farewell party, which wasn't much of a party, so much as it is a demonstration. But anyway—"

Nora, who overheard Jaune's attempt even past her snoring, piped up.

"Ah, just get to the part where you kissed already!"

Jaune glared at Nora as he spoke in surprise.

"Nora! I thought you were supposed to be sleeping!"

Ren sat up from his sleeping bag as he voiced his opinion.

"It's kind of hard to do that when you're yelling all the time."

Jaune rubbed his hand against the back of his head in embarrassment as he spoke softly.

"Oh. Sorry about that..."

Despite the outside opinions Jaune received so far, Ruby tried to engage Jaune further.

"So, what else happened?"

Jaune got back to the story as he looked back to Ruby.

"Okay. Like I said, we were having a farewell party. And then, Pyrrha and I got to have a moment alone with each other."

Nora felt her role should be acknowledged as she piped up.

"Courtesy of moi. As in, 'mwah, mwah, mwah!'"

Nora puckered her lips and made kissing sounds before Ren placed his hand over her lips.

"Cut it out, Nora. Let him finish."

Nora made a stifled groan sound on his hand before Ruby asked him to continue.

"And?"

"And... well, I told her it was my fault that she went after Cinder in the first place because of what I said to her, that she could never back down from a challenge and she'd never let anything stand in her way."

As Ruby lingered on every word, she began to feel worse and worse. She wasn't expecting those heavy feelings out of a story like that. Did Jaune really blame himself for what could've happened to Pyrrha? Despite the look on her face, Jaune went on with it.

"And you know what? She didn't blame me one bit. Turned out what I said to her was the truth. She said she hasn't changed her mind about leaving, and then I... well, Nora guessed it. I kissed her."

Nora made a smirk as she spoke up.

"Told ya."

Ruby looked to Jaune, hoping to get more out of the story.

"Is that all you did?"

"Well, no. But... I don't know if I should—"

"It's okay."

Jaune looked over to Ruby, noticing her dismal face.

"Huh?"

"You don't have to go on if you don't want to."

"But what about all the good parts you wanted to hear about?"

Ruby gave a shrug as she smiled softly to him.

"It's okay. Besides, I don't think Ren's ready for that."

Ruby's assumption wasn't proven correct. She could hear him drawing a breath of relief before he spoke to himself.

"Thank goodness."

Jaune, Nora, and Ruby began to laugh a bit from his reaction before Jaune looked over to Ruby and smiled to her.

"Thanks, Ruby."

"Hey, it's the least I can do. Pyrrha's your friend, too. Or is that girlfriend?"

Ruby made a wink his way, making Jaune smile before he spoke to her.

"I'm just glad you're okay right now. I'm sure Pyrrha would be, too."

Ruby gave him a gentle nod before she laid down on her sleeping bag with Nora and Ren having already done the same as before and spoke aloud.

"Good night, Jaune."

"Good night, Ruby."

With that, Jaune laid down on his sleeping bag, allowing himself to close his eyes before he began to fall asleep.

* * *

_In the Forest of Forever Fall, Jaune opened his eyes again to see Pyrrha's smiling face in front of her as he cupped her cheek with his hand, allowing her to lean into it as she gave a soft moan._

_"It feels really warm, Jaune. Even though it's so cold out, too."_

_"C'mon, Pyrrha. It's not that cold."_

_Pyrrha gently placed her hand on his arm and guided it softly towards her midsection where her corset covered her mounds before placing his hand on it, making him blush as she gave a sly smile._

_"Good. Then I won't have to worry about the cold."_

_Jaune looked up to Pyrrha's face for reassurance, which she gave him with a nod. Pyrrha held her arms up to allow Jaune to remove her corset. He took hold on both sides and began pulling it up gently while pulling the sides of it further away from each other. Once it was removed, her bare skin was revealed, her bouncing mounds exposed to the air. Jaune immediately became flustered and tried to cover his eyes._

_"Ah! I'm so sorry!"_

_Pyrrha only gave him a gentle laugh as she spoke softly._

_"It's okay, Jaune. You can look."_

_Jaune spoke softly through his hands, trying to confirm whether or not it was the case._

_"You sure?"_

_"Of course."_

_Jaune slowly lowered his hands from his eyes, allowing him to see her half-exposed body, beginning to marvel at her physique. She wasn't called the Invincible Girl for nothing. Pyrrha noticed Jaune's look and became curious._

_"So... what do you think so far?"_

_Jaune began to smile gently to Pyrrha again as he replied._

_"Well... I think you're amazing. Uh, not that I didn't think you were amazing before. It's just that—"_

_Before Jaune could finish, Pyrrha placed a finger on his mouth and made a soft shush. Then, she placed her hands on her mounds as she spoke in a sultry manner._

_"Don't talk. Just feel."_

_Pyrrha gestured to her mounds, making Jaune look at her, wondering if that was something she actually wanted._

_"Are you sure?"_

_Pyrrha nodded to him, allowing Jaune to cautiously place his hands upon her mounds. After which, he began to fondle them as softly as he could. Pyrrha moaned from the sensation Jaune was giving her. It was a small portion of pleasure, but it pleased her nonetheless, especially since Jaune was the one doing it. There was something about the way he caressed them that aroused her. In fact, his motions have inadvertently triggered her own._

_Her lower body began to sway itself towards Jaune, rubbing itself against his. Jaune felt those motions and blushed even harder at this, finding it very awkward. Pyrrha noticed his stupor and gave him a lustful laugh._

_"What's wrong, Jaune? I thought you said I was amazing."_

_Jaune tried his best to explain himself, but the arousal was hard for him to resist._

_"Uh, you are. But... it feels kinda weird..."_

_Pyrrha gently eased his hands away from her chest as she gave him a lustful look._

_"It's alright, Jaune. We just need to give your little friend some attention."_

_Pyrrha knelt down to Jaune as she let her hands rest on his pants. Jaune couldn't help but widen his eyes; he couldn't believe them. Sure enough, Pyrrha began to unzip his pants and pull them down, freeing his sensitive region from its clothed cage. Sadly, in the process, Jaune felt a breeze of cold air on his lower body as he stammered._

_"Okay! Okay! Okay!"_

_Pyrrha stopped for a moment, looking up to Jaune. She wondered if she was being too forward with him._

_"Is something wrong, Jaune?"_

_Jaune looked down on Pyrrha, seeing her genuine look of concern. He began to suspect she must've thought it was her fault. It reminded her of the last talk they had at Beacon, when she inadvertently used her semblance on him and she was forced to run away. Jaune began to feel bad seeing her like that._

_"N-No, Pyrrha. It's not— it's not you. It's just... it's a bit cold outside."_

_Pyrrha looked at Jaune, seeing the embarrassment on his face as he blushed. She could feel the chill herself, now that he mentioned it. Pyrrha gave him a soft smile as she recalled what the Fall Maiden was capable of._

_"Oh. That's right. Just because I didn't have to worry about the cold doesn't mean you couldn't. How about I fix that?"_

_After kneeling down in front of his organ, Pyrrha wrapped her arms around Jaune's waist, pressing herself against him as her hands began to radiate heat that spread itself around Jaune on contact. As the heat enveloped him, Jaune let out a relaxed sigh, unaware that his organ was getting bigger and bigger. Pyrrha took notice of that as it grew closer and closer to her face._

_"Wow, Jaune. Your friend grew big from that, didn't it?"_

_Indeed, it did. Pretty soon, it went all the way up to her chest, only to get sandwiched in between her mounds and pointed up at her mouth. Pyrrha let out a confused exclamation, catching Jaune's attention before he noticed. The sight made him flustered._

_"Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry, Pyrrha! Did it attack you?! Oh, I swear, that thing's got a mind of its own!"_

_Pyrrha only made a gentle laugh as she reassured him._

_"It's okay, Jaune. I'm sure it didn't mean any harm. It probably still feels cold."_

_She wasn't wrong. Against her supple chest, his organ still felt chilly despite the warmth she gave it. Could it not have been enough? Pyrrha looked towards the waiting organ and began to form a small smile on her lips._

_"Maybe I need to warm it up more..."_

_Pyrrha began to move his organ into her mouth, tasting the tip of it as she flicked it with her tongue. The taste was unfamiliar to her; she could barely taste anything at all from it. But merely tasting it wasn't her goal. Pyrrha wanted to make Jaune feel better. After a few times of licking the tip, Pyrrha heard Jaune's shudder of pleasure._

_She noticed his face practically drooling over the sensation, and after a few licks. Pyrrha couldn't help but stifle her laugh over how goofy Jaune looked, trying to keep it romantic as she spoke in a sultry voice._

_"You really like that, don't you? Well... I'll bet you really feel good when I do this."_

_Pyrrha didn't have much practice in what came next, but she wasn't wrong. Even as her throat went deeper little by little, and her chest rubbed against his shaft, it made Jaune's moan escape from his mouth. Music to her ears. Pretty soon, as she kept a rising pace, Pyrrha's skirt began to wet itself and drip down, her mouth moaning into Jaune's meat sword. Eventually, it proved too much for Jaune to take._

_"P-Pyrrha! I'm about to—!"_

_Before his warning could be finished, Jaune sprayed his load down Pyrrha's throat. When it did, her eyes widened, stunned by the bizarre taste that flooded her mouth. She wanted to pull away and spit out whatever got in her mouth, but as she swallowed the load, she became more used to it. Perhaps it was an acquired taste. Either way, Pyrrha didn't stop swallowing until it was all gone, at which point she pulled her mouth out and gave a hard pant as Jaune tried to apologize._

_"Sorry... I tried to tell you, Pyrrha."_

_Pyrrha only rolled her tongue across her lips and smacked them before smiling up at Jaune._

_"It's okay. At least it was tastier than Ren's green goop."_

_Jaune gave her a wholesome laugh, recalling how bad it was when Nora tried it prior to her disastrous match in the Vytal Festival. Pyrrha then stood up to face Jaune with a smile as she inquired about how he's handling the weather now._

_"You feeling better, Jaune?"_

_"Uh... yeah. It's like the cold doesn't bother me anymore. Thanks."_

_"Glad I can help. But... I don't think we should stop there."_

_"Huh? What are you talking about?"_

_Pyrrha pointed to her lower clothing, her skirt apparently soiled from her region's fluids. Jaune began to blush even worse. He never dreamed he'd do something like that, even after the tragedy known as the Fall of Beacon._

_"Uh... isn't that supposed to be for later? Like, when... sorry, 'if' we get married?"_

_Pyrrha laid herself down on the ground, wincing when her right shoe touched the ground where her ankle was before setting her foot down on the ground as she began to strip her skirt and shoes off of her body._

_"Well, it may be a long time before we see each other. What if something happens to us?"_

_Jaune became confused on what Pyrrha was getting at as he watched her getting undressed._

_"Wait. What do you mean?"_

_"It's just that— I've been thinking about you and being... together like this before Beacon fell. Now, after all this... I'm scared we'd never be able to be close to each other like this in our lifetime. I mean, I'm not asking for a pedestal; I never liked that, but... I just want to leave something behind for someone, anyone to remember. Even if it's just one person."_

_Jaune made a solemn look on his face for a moment. He knew the feeling all too well when he got to Beacon just by the fact that he cheated his way there. He wanted to make his mark with Beacon Academy and prove that it wasn't just by luck. With that in mind, Jaune widened his eyes as he began to realize where she was going with that and took off the armor and his Pumpkin Pete jacket, leaving him just as exposed as she was, leaving Pyrrha to stare up at his muscles with surprise._

_"Jaune...!"_

_"I get it. You wanted me to be that one person, didn't you?"_

_There was a moment of silence between the two before he spoke again._

_"Sorry it took so long. Guess I really was a bit of a goofball, huh?"_

_Pyrrha smiled at him gently as she had tears beginning to form in her eyes._

_"Yes. But... you're my goofball."_

_Jaune gave her a smile back before his eyes trailed down to her ankle. It was wrapped in a thin white bandage where the arrow pierced it. It had to have hurt when it happened the way it did._

_"Your ankle... does it hurt?"_

_Pyrrha made a sigh towards him._

_"A little. I mean, I thought I could lie down, but turns out, I can't even do that anymore."_

_As luck would have it, Jaune came up with a perfect compromise._

_"I know how to fix that."_

_Suddenly, Jaune lifted Pyrrha's legs up and held them in place with his arms before hovering over her, their faces looking into each other._

_"There. Now you won't have to worry about your ankle."_

_Pyrrha looked down from his face, taking notice of his organ resting on top of her region. It was practically rubbing itself against it. Jaune saw her face and looked down before he blushed, realizing how close he actually was. He wanted to get off, but Jaune thought it best to check with her._

_"Uh... should I get off?"_

_Pyrrha only shook her head before she replied with a blushing smile._

_"It's fine. Just be careful when you put it in."_

_"Wait. Y-You mean this is your first time?"_

_Pyrrha nodded to him in confirmation as she spoke softly._

_"That way, both of us could have something to remember."_

_Jaune looked back down to their lower bodies pressed against each other. Even though Pyrrha wanted this, he still felt caution would be best._

_"Okay. But I gotta at least do a countdown. I don't want it to be unexpected."_

_"I think I could use one. And if I start to shout, don't hesitate to kiss me, okay? It'll make it easier to ride it out."_

_Jaune nodded to his partner and hoisted his shaft away from her region and positioned it right towards it as he spoke._

_"Alright. It's going in on 3. 1..."_

_Jaune's organ came a little nearer to Pyrrha's womanhood as Pyrrha tried to take a deep breath._

_"2..."_

_His manhood came very close, his tip practically touching the edge of her walls, making Pyrrha shiver as she tried to maintain her deep breath._

_"3."_

_Jaune's organ slid inside as slow as it could. Pyrrha couldn't help but groan from the intrusion of her walls before Jaune took advantage of it and kissed her, letting her groan inside his mouth. The intercourse hurt like the devil itself, but Pyrrha and Jaune's kiss at least made it bearable for the former. Their tongues swirled across each other again, trying to tip the scale towards her pleasure and help Pyrrha outlast the pain. All the while, Jaune felt her walls tighten around his organ. He tried hard to resist moving it around as he moaned back into Pyrrha's mouth. After about a minute when they'd lost themselves in their kiss, Jaune and Pyrrha pulled away, both of them panting for breath. Once they've regained the oxygen, Pyrrha made a small pout as she spoke softly._

_"Why did you stop...?"_

_Jaune made a confused look. Was his organ still hurting her?_

_"You want me to keep going?"_

_Before she could answer, Pyrrha began to realize that she didn't feel anything from her region anymore, at least nothing painful. She must've let herself get carried away with that kiss._

_"Maybe later. For now, I think it's safe for you to move around as much as you want."_

_"You think?"_

_"Well, considering I haven't felt anything painful since we stopped, I think it's safe to say I'm used to it by now."_

_Jaune let out a sigh of relief before he spoke._

_"Oh, that's good. Because I don't know if I could resist moving around in there anymore."_

_Pyrrha giggled at her lover before she replied with a lustful look, leaning herself closer to his ear._

_"That's even better. I never wanted you to hold back... my knight in shining armor."_

_Then, all of a sudden, Jaune jumped upon Pyrrha, putting his hands on the ground by her head while his arms held up her legs and he moved his lower body to and from Pyrrha's torso, his organ moving along with it. And because of his consistent motion of a well-paced thrust, Pyrrha began to mewl sounds of ultimate pleasure from her mouth, which was something that Jaune began to take fascination with. He'd never seen this side of Pyrrha before today. Somehow, he liked the idea that he had the upper hand on her. She seemed to like that, too. As if that wasn't enough incentive, Pyrrha began to speak in the midst of her passion._

_"That's it! Keep at it, Jaune! Don't you dare stop!"_

_Luckily for her, he wasn't planning to. Jaune was getting too much out of it to just stop himself. He was practically a machine! With each thrust his manhood made against her walls, both Jaune and Pyrrha sank faster and faster into the deepest caverns of pleasure. It was only a matter of time before Pyrrha felt her cervix being penetrated and began to moan the loudest she could, her tongue sticking out to the air as her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head. Jaune saw the look on her face and was astounded. The override of joy and ecstasy etched upon it somehow attracted Jaune to her more._

_"Geez, Pyrrha! It's almost like you're turning me on with that face on purpose!"_

_Pyrrha only panted in pure bliss as she felt her cervix being infiltrated over and over again. Such a sensation was enough to push Pyrrha's sense of reason out the window almost immediately. As the lovers began to succumb to their desire, Jaune began to try to speak to Pyrrha, feeling an eruption was drawing near._

_"P-Pyrrha! I'm... coming...! close!"_

_Pyrrha was all in for it. If anything, the thought of it excited her more._

_"Come on, Jaune! Let it all flow inside me!"_

_In just a moment later, Jaune's resistance gave way as he moaned loudly and released his liquid directly inside her womb. As she felt her womb full up, Pyrrha began to moan just as loudly with Jaune's fluids leaking out of her region. With all their stamina spent, Jaune collapsed on top of Pyrrha as both of his arms fell limp gently and allowed her legs to ease themselves to the ground, the two lovers regaining their breath as they looked to each other's eyes that were both filled with satisfaction. Pyrrha was the one to break the momentary silence as she smiled at him._

_"Wow, Jaune... that was so much better than I imagined."_

_"I'm glad I could make you happy. Although..."_

_Pyrrha saw Jaune's face become riddled in inquiry. Something must be on his mind._

_"What is it?"_

_"I was just thinking... how exactly was this supposed to help people remember you? I think just giving you a gift or two would've been nice."_

_Pyrrha had a stifled look for a moment before she only smiled softly and wrapped her arms around Jaune before she whispered softly._

_"You already have."_

* * *

The next morning, Jaune woke up, sitting up straight before looking at the cloudy weather, the sun barely visible through them. He'd recalled that night they spent together as if it was only yesterday. While thinking back on it, Jaune looked around at the team, seeing Nora, Ren, and Ruby still asleep in their bags. Whilst looking towards Ruby, he remembered something she told him.

_"That's how we make babies."_

Jaune's face peaked in embarrassment as he blushed before he remembered Pyrrha's words. She didn't just want to leave something behind. She wanted to leave someone behind. And she couldn't trust anyone other than Jaune to do it for her. It seemed a good reason at first, but that didn't seem like something Pyrrha could do it she was going to be alone.

It didn't matter how powerful she was now. Her maiden powers are no substitute for parenting experience. Unless... Knowing Pyrrha for the strategist that she is, Jaune widened his eyes as he came to realize something else. They'll see each other again. Or at least, Pyrrha planned to see him again. Jaune looked up at the sun, more than eager to get on with the day as he spoke softly.

"I don't know what you're up to, but... I really hope we'll see each other again, Pyrrha."

* * *

Meanwhile, Pyrrha was walking by herself with Amber in her head as she smiled, thinking back on the night they had six months prior. Sadly, there wasn't any luck getting a child from that first time, but at least she got to spend it with Jaune. For now, that was enough for her. While she reminisced about her last moment with Jaune, Amber piped up in her head.

_"I think I understand why you're thinking about him. You wanted to have a family with him. Am I right?"_

Pyrrha maintained her smile as she replied back aloud, certain that nobody else was around her for the moment.

"Yes, Amber."

_"But I thought you were destined to be a Huntress."_

"I am, but... There's more to my destiny than being a Huntress. Jaune helped me realize that after the Fall of Beacon. Just like I believed in him, he believed in me, even if I was hurt. It took me a while to see it, but it turns out... Jaune was my final goal all along."

_"I see. I'm surprised you didn't get a child with him yet."_

Pyrrha made a frown about that. She wanted to get a child with him from that first time, a child that could only be Jaune's, but in hindsight, it was probably for the best. What if she were to experience the dangers of the Grimm? A pregnant Fall Maiden could only do so much. And even if the Grimm weren't involved, how could she be expected to handle such hardships on her own? That would've been truly miserable. Nonetheless, she perked up, already looking forward to their round two.

"Well... there's always next time."

_"If there ever is a next time. But you know why we can't see them again yet."_

Pyrrha's face furrowed into a frown, recalling Cinder's ruthlessness all too well.

"I know. If I go back to them now, they'll just be put in danger. If Cinder doesn't torture them just for the fun of it, she'd kill them for sure. She'd do anything to take the other half of my... your power."

Pyrrha held her hands close to her chest as she stood still, worried for what could happen if Cinder got what she wanted. She didn't want to risk that power falling into the wrong hands, but she doesn't want her friends to get hurt, either.

_"I'm sorry, Pyrrha. I wish I had an answer to give you your final goal. But there's nothing we can do."_

After a moment, Pyrrha opened her eyes with a fierce gaze.

"No. There is something we can do. We can get the rest of your power back. And the only way to do that is if... if Cinder dies."

Amber knew that as well as Pyrrha did. But while it came as no surprise to her, she was concerned about her ability to make it happen given how well that ended last time.

_"Pyrrha, I want payback on her as much as the next person, but you couldn't stop her before. What makes you think you could do it this time?"_

"You've been training me to master your powers. I couldn't figure those out last time we fought. I wasn't ready before. This time, I know it'll be different."

Amber found it hard to argue with her logic. Although, in hindsight, she should've taken the shot while she was still down, or at least, that's what Amber thought. But in the time she spent with her, Amber came to realize that Pyrrha wasn't that kind of person. Otherwise, she'd be just like Cinder. That would've tarnished her image as the Invincible Girl for sure. But this wasn't about her image; it was about her morality. And that is how Pyrrha will achieve her final goal. Anything else would be meaningless if she can't sleep at night over it.

_"Alright. But it may be a long time before we find Cinder."_

"Good. Then it should be enough time to work on our powers. We just need to find a good place to stop for a bit."

As if by coincidence, Pyrrha took notice of a barn far away. When she drew closer, she saw the bleak red coloring of it with boarded up windows by the side of the main entrance and a cracked one above it. All around the grass outside were two picnic tables on one side while the other held a large tree. Pyrrha walked through the gap in the picket fence and looked around as Amber gave her two cents to Pyrrha, who replied back to her.

_"And I thought Oniyuri was creepy."_

"I know what you mean. It feels just the same: like it's been abandoned."

Suddenly, Pyrrha heard something that was quite the contrary. Pyrrha heard a scrubbing sound coming from the barn. She looked ahead before she pondered it to her companion.

"Hold on. Do you hear that, Amber?"

_"Hear what?"_

Pyrrha heard the sound again. This time, it was louder. For anyone to make that noise, that could only mean one thing. And Pyrrha knew it.

"Someone's alive in there!"

Pyrrha ran right into the barn, much to Amber's behest.

_"Wait, Pyrrha!"_

Pyrrha ran past the barn's entrance, seeing only a little girl with raven hair in pigtails scrubbing against the wood floor with bandages on her wrists and fingers. She kept a consistent pace of scrubbing beside a candle at the far edge of the barn. Pyrrha became confused why she was still scrubbing despite the absence of other people, but nonetheless tried to get her attention.

"Uh, hi. Are you... doing okay?"

The girl didn't answer her, and instead, she kept on scrubbing the floor as if she didn't hear her voice. Pyrrha tried not to be offended as she asked her a different question.

"Do you know where your parents are?"

When the girl didn't answer again, Amber spoke up to her.

_"You can stop pretending, Pyrrha. We both know there's no one there."_

Pyrrha became confused. How could anyone not be there when she could plainly see the girl in front of her?

"Come on, Amber. Don't tell me _you_ can't see—"

Pyrrha tried to point the girl to Amber, but when she looked back, the girl was gone. It was as if she wasn't there at all. As Pyrrha tried to figure it out, Amber tried to give her a dose of reality.

"What...? But she was right here..."

_"Pyrrha, don't take this the wrong way, but I think you may be seeing things."_

In a different circumstance, Pyrrha would be offended, but not here. A couple of children ran by her from out of nowhere before Pyrrha saw the girl again. Granted a better look at her, Pyrrha saw that the girl was dressed in a white shirt with a grey apron tied up in a bow behind her neck. What's more, she had yellow eyes to go with them. And she looked upset. Though it made no sense to her how she ended up from one place to another, Pyrrha had a feeling she was onto something.

"I think you might be right, Amber."

Pyrrha walked outside of the barn in an attempt to clear her head, but when she got out of the barn and onto the grass, she heard a thud, making her turn towards the tree where she saw the girl being picked on by two boys as they stood over her while she was sitting on the floor, her apron and shirt ruined. Those two reminded her all too well of a certain team that made fun of Jaune that way. It did appear to be something that only Cardin could do. Pyrrha tried to step up to her defense.

"Hey! You leave that girl alone!"

Sadly, it fell on deaf ears. Not long after, the girl leaped at one of the boys and began to punch him before she was tossed aside from behind by a man appearing to be her father. Unable to handle all those events happening at once, Pyrrha was thrown for a loop.

"Okay, what's going on, Amber?"

_"You tell me. I'm not the one going crazy."_

In that moment, she heard scrubbing again. Pyrrha wasn't sure if she should go back, knowing that the girl wouldn't hear her. Pyrrha tried to give herself a deep breath before she took in all of what she saw so far. She saw the girl working on the floor, sitting by herself, and being bullied. All of it happened while she didn't acknowledge her. From the evidence, an unfortunate theory went in her mind.

"Okay. You said I've been seeing things, but you weren't. So, I must've been looking at... someone's memories?"

Amber considered her theory for the moment. After all, she couldn't see the girl like Pyrrha could. Although, it was questionable as to how that was possible.

_"Are you sure? Because neither one of us ever saw this barn before."_

Pyrrha walked back to the barn, seeing the girl scrub the floors again, but this time, she was silently crying as her tears fell on the floor.

"That's the thing, Amber. Maybe it wasn't our memories."

_"It's not? Who else could it be?"_

The girl then stopped her scrubbing before looking back towards Pyrrha with a sad, longing look on her face with a grey shadow underneath her yellow eyes. Seeing her face, Pyrrha widened her eyes as she began to realize the unfortunate truth: this was Cinder's home.

"I think we both know the answer, Amber..."

* * *

**A/N: So, what do you think? You can feel free to leave any constructive criticism in my PM's or review. That said, I don't think I've pointed out Dexus' allusion yet. Dexus would actually allude to Ahab from "Moby Dick". And you can expect Raider to get to the bottom of Cinder in the next chapter. Until then, Happy Holidays! ;)**


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